Firebase Seattle
by Blackstar-1
Summary: Sometimes being a hard-core gamer isn't fun, and the story takes on a life of its own.  Climax and wrap-up.
1. Chapter 1

Firebase Seattle

A/N: Inspiration for this came from LordsFire's _Dungeon Crawling in Chicago, et. al._, and I thought I'd take a shot at it, if nothing else to get it to stop bothering me. I think everyone tries this kind of story, and also wants to share some of their gaming expreiences. Parts are autobiographical; it's up to you to figure out which. ;) No copyright infringement (if any) is intended. I'm just having fun here.

Chapter 1 – Restless Spirits

If I get out of this, I'll swear on a stack of GURPS books that I'll _never_ read the _Dungeon Master's Guide_ PDF right after visiting a fanfic site, both just before bed. Maybe that's why I'm here; I immunized myself against two of my favorites. Right. Who am I kidding? I don't have a freakin' clue. Right now I'm sitting on a dirt floor, looking at Daniel Howling Coyote and wondering how I got here.

Maybe I'd better back up and start over.

(((())))

I woke up with a knot in my back, wondering what I was sleeping on, then rolled over and removed the offending object. It was a rock the size of my fist. I looked at it blearily, wondering how it got there, when I noticed how quiet it was, followed by the damp, rocky smell I recognized from caves or mines I'd explored as a kid in Arizona. I sat up and wondered where I was, then how and why I was fully dressed. As I woke up more, I asked the only question available: "What the hell's going on?"

The answering voice was low and soft, but powerful, with an underlying current of distant menace: "You're in the Seattle area. I need a favor."

That's when I looked to see Daniel. It couldn't be anyone else. He looked _exactly_ like the illustrations, right down to the freaky glowing eyes, body paint and headdress. The difference was I was seeing him in living, breathing color and I could _feel_ his presence. As I took in what he'd said, I glanced out the mine's entrance to see the Space Needle just barely peeking over the tops of some arcologies. "You can't be serious," I said as sleep finally let go of me.

"Yes I can, Keith." That made me flinch. Only a few people knew that name, and they were in Orlando. That campaign was also over. I looked down and noticed my hands, which were thinner and finer than usual, my skin a dark tone in the half-light that I knew was close to obsidian; I'd written up Keith Dawson as a "Neo-Drow" Elf for flavor and to separate him from all the other "plain vanilla" Elves. I was wearing jeans, a t-shirt that displayed an animated image of a Great Dragon in flight, boots and a long coat. Everything Dawson wore, at least when not on a run.

I didn't know what was going on, but I had a dark suspicion. "Okay, Mister Coleman, you want to explain?" That earned me a scowl, which convinced me I wasn't dreaming, along with the sudden oppressive feel to the atmosphere. He stopped, then smiled ever so slightly.

"Fair enough," he said. "Things aren't going too well for Blackwolf and company. He's dead. I felt him get shot. If I understand a few things, nothing's supposed without you. Heinlein's World-As-Myth, and all that. Someone changed something, and it's not supposed to work that way."

"Speaking of dead," I pointed out.

"We're on the Borderlands, Todd. Anything can happen here, but it doesn't have any effect outside of this place. Not until you go out there and find out who's messing around with things they don't understand. You and your friends are the only ones who can make this world go, or so it _should_ be. If they keep it up … well, things could get ugly," he said, nodding outside.

The fact he'd pointed out a few things I held as almost-truths made me think over what he'd said carefully, and take it seriously, and, well, we're all very possessive about our characters. Keith was one of my real successes; he'd not only survived everything thrown at him from the back-story the GM and I had worked out _and_ the campaign, he'd gotten back what he'd lost, and I knew he'd never give it up again.

A brief aside: If they're honest, anyone will admit they put a _lot_ of themselves into any characters they create, regardless of the _genre_. If you're really into them, losing one is like losing a piece of yourself. When _they_ die, part of _you_ dies. If that doesn't happen, as far as I'm concerned, you didn't really care about them; you're just another stats-on-paper Warcrack-type player who cares more about the pluses than the whole, and you're a waste of time. Don't like that? Deal with it. There are plenty more like me in gaming, and I go back to AD&D 1st Edition. Warts and all.

Anyway, I was still coming to terms with what Howling Coyote was telling me, and I realized I was upset, and getting _pissed_. _Nobody_ _does this to me_, I thought, and I wasn't sure it was just me; I thought I heard an echo. I shook my head and thought_, Fine. Someone wants to play. Let's let the Wolf out_.

"Good," Daniel said. "I can see the fire. Let it burn." As he spoke, I saw glowing words off to the side of my vision: _New Build or Restore?_ I understood, and concentrated on _Restore_. It flashed, then a list scrolled by almost too fast to see, but I recognized it all as Blackwolf, including the last things he'd picked up: Kung Fu and two maneuvers from _Arsenal_. _Confirm?_ blinked in my vision, and I murmured "Confirmed."

It was _painful_. Keith had serious Alphaware augmentations, including bone lacing, muscle replacement, cybereyes and -ears, reaction enhancers, smartlink and hand spurs, and that's only half the finished list. The only thing that kept me from breaking down was the High Pain Tolerance Quality hit me first. It was bad. Imagine feeling yourself being unraveled and re-built in a little over ten minutes. I understood how Wolverine felt when they'd worked on _him_.

_Build Restored_ flashed briefly, then another list topped by _Resources_ passed. I recognized all of Blackwolf's weapons, gear, vehicles and the living space he'd converted over from an old shopping center across from MinuteMan Mechanics' Seattle (Redmond, actually) headquarters. I noted he'd finished the list I'd compiled, and felt a little better. At least I wasn't going into _completely_ unknown territory.

That made me pause. Naomi, Jessica, Ms M and Hestaby. Any one of them might notice something, and I didn't _know_ if I could carry off impersonating Blackwolf. There were still things that hadn't been resolved, and I didn't know if they were a factor. I looked at Howling Coyote, trying and failing to put it into words.

"If they notice, you owe them an explanation, but they will _definitely_ notice you're back from the dead, Keith. It's been two weeks, and they just heard. You need to get there and claim what's yours, before the two-legged scavengers find what's left. Time to pick up your life and put it back together, _omae_."

"What about when I finish?" I knew from similar fanfics I'd read that I might get pushed on to something else. I was familiar with Campbell's _Hero with a Thousand Faces_, and Moorcock's _Eternal Champion_: When he was finished, he moved on to another challenge. Well, _pushed_, in John's case. I didn't want that, but it was a possibility.

Daniel considered that, his eyes taking on an interesting opalescence as he thought. "I don't know. You might have to go on alone; you might have companions. I'm new to this hero stuff, too, if you think about it and it's not easy being a Messiah, either." I snorted at that one; a friend had taken _that_ path to its logical extremes, by his own admission. "Now you know. I don't think you'll be pushed, but you won't have complete control. It's kind of a rule, but how can you be sure of anything?"

"Okay, I'm about as ready as I'm going to be," I said as I tested my cyberware interfaces and function. The spurs made me grin. _Let's go, rookie!_ Daniel began to chant, and I felt the hair along the back of my neck and spine stand on end. Then there was a swirling at the mine entrance, and he said, _"Go, Wolf. Time to hunt."_ I stepped forward...

(((())))

I stopped when gravel crunched under my boots, and I smelled the stench of rotting metahuman flesh. I looked to see an undamaged Thundercloud Contrail lying on its side near a barely-recognizable corpse, but I knew what he looked like. I'd web-searched for an image that fit the look I wanted, and ended up with Drizzt. I still don't know a lot about _him_, other than he's a real bad-ass, which was the look I wanted. Someone you wouldn't mess with when you saw him, unless you had back-up. If you want to be left alone in the Sixth World, you needed that edge, and more.

I stopped wool-gathering and walked over to the mess, shutting down the olfactory booster while boosting the hearing range. I took as close a look as I dared, but it was obvious what had happened. He took a large-caliber round to the body, apparently while answering his commlink. I looked around, noticed an impact crater, then gathered all the gear on the body. I stopped briefly when I removed the wedding ring, then put it on. I didn't really have much choice. I checked the 'link, and stared when it displayed the date: June 29, 2074. Shit, even _Street Legends_ was old news here. I shook myself and continued. I'd figure it out later.

It didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. I guess the difference was instead of impersonating Keith, I had _become_ Keith, and he was a hard dude. As I worked I was cataloging the scene in ways I'd never heard of. The funny thing was, Dawson wasn't Lone Star or Knight Errant, but Ares Corporate Security, specializing in Extraction, Security and Counter-Terrorism. I had to stop and think about that. According to other background, _TerraFirst!_ had made more than a few threats at one point, and Ares had capitalized on that. I wonder if this time they'd actually done the job. Well, that was one thing I had to find out. After I finished with the body, I searched for and retrieved the assault cannon slug – Ares Vigorous, by the type – and quickly dug a shallow grave with my spurs; I could sharpen them later. I had to make it look as though Keith Dawson had pulled a Lazarus, but leave no evidence to prove it one way or another. I – and he – had to be a ghost that wouldn't be laid to rest. I smiled grimly at that. "Looks like I get to be the Ghost of Puyallup, too." I stood the bike up, started it and rode south, wondering what I'd find, and why Keith had gone out unarmed. _Completely_ out of character.

I rode up the lane, passing half-familiar buildings before I reached the two that mattered most: 3M HQ, Seattle, and … home. I wasn't looking forward to this. I knew how to act, but Naomi wasn't as clear to me as Keith. I'd done a good background, but never played her; she'd been under GM control, so I didn't have a real feel for her, and there wasn't as much emotional attachment. The same for Jessica, who until the real introduction, I'd only known as Shizuke, and that had been barely a month before. It all came together at once, when I found out Jessica-Shizuke was "Mrs J", one of our Johnsons. Nice twist, eh? One of the GM's better ones.

I stopped in front of the roll-up door and keyed it with my commlink. It opened as it should have, but I'll bet it sent up a red flag or three. I rode in, closed the door and hit the lights, looking around as I checked the security status with a single screen-swipe. These commlinks were ridiculously easy to use. They made an iPhone seem crippled, like DOS on an Intel 8086 versus Unix on a Motorola 68000. I shrugged that off. The argument was long since dead in this here and now, and I had other things to worry about.

A place feels empty when it is; it feels different when someone lives there, but is out. This one had the latter. I wondered if Naomi was staying with Jessica, or was only out for the evening. I didn't bother to think about it. I walked over to the weapons locker and looked at it speculatively. Keith always carried two Predators, regardless of the situation, unless no guns was specified. One reason for the Alphaware augmentations. Can't remove bone lacing easily, chummer.

I took the Preds down and slipped into the shoulder holsters, then pocketed the Yamaha Pulsar as usual. Shock gloves in the opposite pocket. 'Link in the left upper inside coat pocket. I decided to take the Alpha this time; I might need the heavy punch. As I activated the smartgun links, I noticed something else: _Unspent Karma: 20_ hung to my right. It made sense. That last run must was serious, but it was assumed we'd collect when the next started. It hadn't to date. And so I improved a few skills.

Let's see, Languages are fine. Heavy Weapons needed improvement, so I bought Rating 2 there. Sixteen points remaining. I really wanted to improve a few Skill Groups, but there was just no way. The cost was outrageous. So I bought Etiquette and Intimidation at Rating 1, increased Climbing and Gymnastics to Rating 2, and that was it. As always, 2 Karma = 1 Build Point, and even four hundred BP can seem like too little. As always, you agonize over what you'd _like_ against what you _need_, and then stop crying like a baby and get on with it. No, I'm not kidding. Every build session seems to go that way. Anyway, improvements were done. Now for the fun part. I had to see if anyone was at 3M, and if they had a good-sized Willpower dice pool.

I let myself out the people door and crossed the street, as always sweeping the shadows for watchers who didn't belong. I wasn't worried. My improvements brought my Gymnastics and Climbing to 10, including the Balance Augmenter. My combat skills were still good, solid tens and twelves, not including specializations. I was in top condition, and Blackwolf was no push-over. He was, if I do say so myself, an urban predator. Maybe not the fastest, strongest or toughest, but no character of mine backs off unless death is the alternative. Like John, when I fight (at least in gaming), it's all or nothing. To hell with Fate, I make my own luck. So far I'm averaging slightly above a seventy percent survival rate; I guess I'm getting smarter. If not, my new social skills (yeah, right) should let me talk down or bluff any slots that decided to give me trouble.

I walked across to the L-shaped building, glanced up and down the street again, and knocked. Well, what really happened was the door was yanked open from inside, and I saw the very unfriendly-looking business end of a half-dozen gun barrels. I wasn't really surprised. Henry was paranoid, and that's actually a _good_ trait for a hacker. He'd have been watching after Blackwolf vanished. I looked up slightly to see Ian Dalton and Hugo Alejo looking at me suspiciously over paired Savalette Guardians. Flanking them were Zelda D'Moffiti and Sophia Norris – each holding a Predator – while Rydia Kallenberg – yet another of Damien Knight's illegitimate children – looked at me with the oddest expression.

I wondered why Sophia was here. Last I knew, she'd returned to Mars. Whatever brought her back had to be important. I felt a twinge at not seeing Daphne, our resident half-mad Immortal Elf. She was loopy, but you could always count on her. Of course, if I didn't want to join her in the Great Beyond, I had to focus on the really horrible Dodge chance I had right now. Guardians are Burst-fire weapons, and I'm pretty sure the Adepts hadn't stopped practicing just because we were "retired".

I put up my hands and said, "Now _this_ is a warn welcome. Not." The guys blinked as though they'd expected me to half-groan _Braaaaaaiiinns_; Sophia giggled in spite of herself, while Zelda – always the Media-type – started recording. I looked at Rydia, and she still seemed to be unsure of what she was looking at. Considering she was blind and had other senses to use, I guess that was a common thing for her. Sophia looked at me intently, and I knew what that meant. Our Changeling Technomancer was taking a good look at my cyberware and comparing it to what she remembered.

Meantime, Henry was rolled out from a back room by a pair of 3M operatives; he was in VR, I think. He laid still on the gurney for a few more seconds, then reached up and pulled off the dark shades as he sat up. He looked at me, then glanced at an AR window, then shrugged. "If it's not him, it's a very good copy," he said.

"He's still mostly dead," Hugo added. I rolled my eyes at the tired old joke.

Sophia walked within arms' reach, then smiled. "It's him. I'd remember that PAN anywhere." Rydia stopped at her side and added, "I'd recognize that aura – what there is of it – anywhere, too."

Ian and Hugo lowered their weapons. "What the hell? We just heard you'd been killed. Naomi and Jessica went out to check."

A thought hit and I keyed my commlink. The perfect way to get Naomi would be just like that. When she answered I only said, "Back to the barn, Cat. I'll explain." She looked at my image, then said a tentative _"Okay."_ I keyed off and sat down. "Where's the Dragon Lady?" I asked.

"Ms M's not here. She's still in Boston," Sophia answered before hugging me tightly. "I'm glad you're all right, Blackwolf."

"But I'm not. That's what I've got to tell Naomi and a few other people," I replied. I handed her my guns, and their eyes went wide. I understood why. It was completely out of character.

(((())))

We waited until Naomi and Jessica returned, and I was immediately swarmed by them. I took a few minutes to soothe them, then looked up as the rest of Majestic came in. I was surprised to see Joseph Fox. I thought he was gone for good after leaving due to a personal moral crisis. It was strange seeing Danny standing next to him; both were the same guy behind the scenes. Gillian was there, too. "Super Joe" was thankfully absent.

Ian and Hugo finally stopped looking at me like I had two heads, and Dalton said, "Well, what gives?"

"You're gonna have a hard time wrapping your heads around this," I said, then launched into the explanation of how I was here. That needed more background, too. Most of them sat in the chairs at the conference table with dazed, confused and disbelieving expressions, but Rydia and Gillian nodded every now and then. I finally wrapped up and fell silent, trying to think. Something was bothering me, and I couldn't nail it down.

"Well, you're dead twice over," Hugo said. "Did you see anyone we know?"

"No, and you're asking the wrong guy. Like I said, the last thing I remember before waking up with a rock in my back was drifting off as Stealer's Wheel was playing." I sighed. "You'd better believe I wish Snowfire, Galileo and Daphne were here. We might need them."

Rydia was looking at me intently, then said, "_That's_ what's missing. Where's Spiritkiller?"

Spiritkiller was a magical dagger I'd inherited from Dunkelzahn back in late '69. I didn't know how to use it properly until Galileo showed me, but I'd learned it was able to harm spirits when other weapons couldn't. It was a good weapon, and had saved my hoop when we ended up in Colonial America. I still don't really believe _that_ happened, even now.

"I don't know. It wasn't at the scene, and wasn't in the locker." I thought a moment, then remembered Spiritkiller was the one weapon Keith never let out of his sight, once he – _I_ had figured it out.

"Someone killed you just for that?" Naomi said, finally. She'd stayed quiet during the discussion. "Why?"

"It's a potent weapon," Rydia answered. "Anything that affects spirits is rare, and valuable. It would make one hell of a weapon focus."

"The problem with that is only a few people knew about it," Ian said. "Us, Ms M, and Hestaby, right?" I nodded. "So who else knew?"

"Aina Dupree, if I remember correctly, but she's dead," Henry replied. "Perhaps more in the Draco Foundation, but I can't see them going against Dunkelzahn's wishes. Some people still think he's alive, somewhere."

"Well, that really sucks," Sophia said. "What can we do?"

"I don't know, but I can find out," Kallenberg replied.

While that was going on, I had my commlink out and was viewing the last messages. I didn't see anything, and I wonder if someone had erased them via the Matrix. It was theoretically possible. I handed it over to Henry. "Check it over. Public stuff only, or I'll show you _my_ version of hacking." I deployed one spur for emphasis.

"Who's going to tell the dragons?" Fox asked. "They'll want to know."

Everyone looked at me, and I said, "Jessica can tell Ms M. I'm sure you have channels nobody can snoop into." My daughter grinned evilly and her eyes went blank. She was already in the Matrix. "I'll tell Hestaby, if she doesn't hear on her own. I don't think she'll talk to anyone else, if she's taking this the way I think she is."

"I thought it wasn't that kind of relationship," Naomi said.

"Even teachers take it hard when they lose students," I answered. "I still blame myself for Johnson, Barrett and Danvers."

"That's ancient history," Hugo replied with a grin, which he dropped when I looked at him. "Okay, sorry. We can't do anything until we learn more, and I don't think we have any idea where to start." He pointed at the spent assault cannon round. "Those aren't everywhere, but even Super Joe has one. No way to trace, right?"

"Probably not," Zelda said. "I'm willing to bet the RFID's fried, if there is one. It's not hard to do."

I nodded. Even though I'd come out of sleep, I was tired. I guess I'd adjusted to the Sixth World, and it was making itself felt. "I'm gonna crash. I'm tired, and I don't know why, and we'll make more sense out of this after we get some rest." Jessica came out of VR, and I said, "Tell me tomorrow. One disaster at a time, scan?"

Jessica nodded and hugged me. "Good to have you back, dad, whoever you might be." She looked at me steadily, then said, "I can't tell the difference. I guess it doesn't matter." She didn't see her mother glance my way as she stood up. "I'll see you tomorrow." She walked upstairs. I guess someone finally converted part of the offices into living space, and it made sense for Jessica to stay here.

Everyone began to leave, except for Fox, Cheney and Gillian. HQ had crash space, which had been used when we first came in and took the area over four years ago. After a while, Naomi and I were alone. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"I don't know," she said, hugging herself. "Too much, too soon and all at once." She looked at me and added, "I don't know what to think, about anything." She sighed and stood up. "We can continue this at home."

I nodded and stood up, slinging my rifle as I did. "I won't push you, _koishii_. If you want, I'll stay away."

"No, I want you with me. I'm not taking my eyes off you if I can help it. I don't want to lose you again."

I leaned down and kissed her. "Neither do I. I went through too much. _We_ went through too much. Just tell me if you're uncomfortable or weirded-out, okay?"

She smiled. "Deal."

(((())))

I woke up the next morning feeling much better. Being in a bed and not on a cave floor had a lot to do with it, but having Naomi beside me was most of it. I looked at her as she slept, wondering – as Keith had – how I could be so lucky to have her with me. I could have ended up who knows where in Seattle, and much worse off. So I just slid up against the headboard and watched her for a while.

A rumble of thunder made me look up, and Naomi woke with a start, then saw me, smiled and relaxed. "Good morning."

"What time is it?" she asked. She was cybered for decking, but she had a smartlink as well. Neither had a time display, and I mentally keyed mine active.

"Just before dawn. Nobody's awake, if they have any sense," I replied with a grin. Naomi looked at me with mischief in her eyes, the kind I recognized. "Are you sure?" She licked her lips meaningfully. "Well, who am I to say no?"

No, I'm not going to tell you anything. You should be able to figure it out.

(((())))

A few hours later, I was making breakfast as Naomi checked her commlink, then dove into the Matrix. Even though I knew what went on in there, I still shivered. Two Crashes had made me wary, especially after the stories that came out both times.

More background. Keith was born in Tacoma in 1997, and this Timeline was different, as the GM had made up his own. It closely paralleled the canon version, but he'd added his own twists. The key events – other than the Awakening coming in 2012 – were still where and what they really were, but some side issues were different.

What that means is _Ares_ formed _Union Colony_ on Mars, instead of Yamatetsu/Evo. That's where Sophia was born. She was a Changeling, resembling an anime cat-girl. Good and bad. She was a sweet kid, but you opened a can of whoop-ass on yourself if you gave her grief around us. We'd rescued her on our very first run, and never regretted it. I think she was the reason Snowfire stayed with us. Ghost knows we're not going to win Miss Congeniality.

Snowfire was young a white dragon who had been captured and worked-over by a black Ares CalFree cyberlab. I still don't know how they managed to get the 'ware to take. I'd pulled him out of a storage tube in a hidden Ares lab not too far from Glow City, and talked him into joining Majestic. I can't get the image out of my head of him and the girls playing strip poker, with Rydia winning. _Again_. I still can't believe he bought it at the end of that last run. It wasn't fraggin' _fair_.

While Naomi was busy, I set her breakfast at her elbow, and she smiled and reached for it, and ate while she did her work. She'd been a hot programmer and decker when we met, and she'd only gotten better with time. She stayed in, and I moved out into the work space, looking it over and making sure of what was there. Weapons, electronics and vehicle shops where I'd placed them, on paper. Shooting line at one end of the building, targets at the other. Open space that wasn't yet filled, and would be used once I developed the skills. The best part was I did some of the work on 3M vehicles and weapons, so we didn't have to worry about problems if and when someone found out who did our work. Some people didn't like us, mostly because we kept order by giving the local gangers something to worry about besides each other. It worked well, and the area had started to come back a little, but not enough for the 'Plex honchos to notice. It was fairly safe, relatively quiet, and people left you to your biz, mostly. Not too bad a place to live, given the alternatives.

I spent a few minutes straightening up, then started practicing unarmed combat. This is still Seattle in 2074, and nothing stays still. Weird things keep happening, the Megas keep scheming, and there are still the dragons. I paused half-way through my work-out when the door sensor chimed. I couldn't check it – Henry still had my 'link – but Naomi could. She keyed the door, and speak of the devil, there was Camberlane, looking around with interest. He spotted me and held up my link, and said, "Did you know this place doesn't show much on the Matrix?"

"That's one reason I picked it," I answered as I reached into the refrigerator I kept in the main area and took out two beers, trading him one for my 'link. "What did you find?"

"Thank _someone_ the Matrix never forgets," he said as he took a sip. He was never much of a drinker, and most hackers preferred to stay sharp. "I was able to trace and recover all but one message. Whoever sent that one is _good_," he said, which had my attention. Henry and Naomi are on par, but she's got time and experience on her side, while Henry has pure raw talent and "mad skillz" on his. If we ever had them both after some one … well, I wouldn't want to be them. "No trace past the final mesh node, and that was a fraggin' _toaster_," he said with disdain.

"Hey, you cover Matrix dead zones any way you can," I replied. "Any rumors about Spiritkiller? Something like that can't stay out of sight. Someone will ask, or someone is selling."

"That's if whoever wanted it wasn't the one who had you shot." He looked at me frankly. "Are you really okay? I mean, when you told us about being _blown up_, that was shocking. Now you got killed again. That can't be good."

I grinned, and the fact my cybereyes look just like my old ones – a freaky milky-blue – didn't help as I said, "Not planning to go fuck-nuts just _yet_." Camberlane flinched, and I chuckled, then sobered. "I don't know. Just like the last time, I don't really remember it. I'm not going to let it bother me," I said as I used my 'link to re-trace the cannon shell's originating point. Based on the angle and trajectory, someone had made a difficult shot at extreme range, which is over a kilometer for an assault cannon. I'd been taken out by someone better than me, and I didn't know why, a situation I really don't like. If someone shoots at me, I'd like to have some idea why he's pissed-off.

Henry glanced around, then asked, "Do you remember about Sophia?"

"What we learned from Chang, sure. Anything beyond that, no. Like I told you, I'm the guy who pulled the strings from off-stage."

Camberlane gave me a look, then said, "She was on her way to Mars and didn't find out until _after_ she got there her mother had been transferred back to Earth. She came back as soon as she could – "

"Lemme guess: Mom was back on Mars, or on her way there," I cut in. He nodded and I shook my head. "Figures. Some slot's playing with us. Seems they've been playing with us from day one. Is Spencer still locked up?"

"Oh, yeah, he's got life with no parole, and he's not where Ares can touch him. That doesn't mean someone in his little group isn't out fraggin' us over," Henry replied sourly.

Something I have to point out: During play, none one used Sprawl slang or lingo. It never occurred to us. Another thing is every one of Majestic had been fragged over by Ares in some way. Nobody was sure if it was all the same slot, or several. We never found out, and at the end, it didn't seem to matter, because Spencer was the obvious choice. Now I wasn't so sure about that. I still hope Joan Clark is roasting in some fresh hell made just for her. She'd _known_ who'd done for us, but wouldn't tell. Now we might never know. Yeah, I know, welcome to the Sixth World, chummer. Something was different, and I wondered if someone hadn't found something and was playing it _his_ way. Maybe that explained the high Karma award. I'd find out, one way or another.

After Henry finished and sipped his beer, Naomi came out of VR and said, "We're going to have company. Ms M will be here tonight, straight in from Boston."

"Great. What else?" I groused.

"Hestaby called, and I gave her some of the story. I think she's on her way now; she cut off suddenly."

"I still can't get over how you know her," Henry said. "Most people would be boasting, but you kept quiet. Why?"

"Who'd have believed it, Henry? Hell, sometimes _I_ don't. It's nobody's biz but mine and hers. She preferred it that way."

"Well, you might want to get ready for the questions you know are going to be coming," Naomi said. "I picked up something from the Draco Foundation digging into Majestic, too. Why?"

"It's no secret to them about us," Henry said. "We were in the will. I don't know what else, unless..." he trailed off, thinking.

"It's no real news that Nadja's back," I said. "I didn't think she could be caught if she survived the New Revolution fiasco. She's probably the most powerful and wealthy woman in the world, right now, thanks to Dunkelzahn's will. She'd be interested, but I can't think of anything past that. We're not that big shakes. There are other runners out there who've been out there longer, and have bigger reps. We've kept ourselves mostly off the radar. How, I don't know."

"Considering Super Joe and Snowfire, I'd have to agree," Henry said. "That makes it harder to figure." His 'link chirped, and he said, "Gotta go. Mrs J has me checking a few things. Later."

"Slot and run," I replied as he let himself out. I stood there, looking at the floor, trying to sort everything out, but not doing very well. Like before, there was too much going on.

"What's going on in there?"Naomi asked.

"Not much. I'm just trying to get a grip on it all, and there's just too much," I replied. "It's like – oh, I don't know – trying to listen to something in the middle of a thunderstorm, unaugmented."

Naomi took my arm and leaned against me. "Is it ever going to stop?"

"I don't know. Maybe, but not forever. It's still the Sixth world."

(((())))

The next big surprise came when Hestaby arrived. First there was a loud _Thud!_ as she landed on the roof, then scrabbling as she moved into the alley. I'll have to look into that roof hatch, I guess. Then the door chirped, and the display showed a hand-print with a completely wrong heat signature, along with a human face that wasn't completely right, either. I ok'd her access, and she stumbled through the door, dripping wet and panting. "What the hell, Hest?" I asked, just before she about threw herself on me. I was in a hug I couldn't break, and was still coming to terms with all that as I heard her _crying_. She bawled into my shoulder like anyone else, and that was totally unlike her, or any dragon. I was wondering if I hadn't gone crazy a few hours ago.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she said haltingly between sobs and sniffles.

Naomi watched, wide-eyed, then said, "I suppose this means your relationship has changed?"

Hestaby smiled, then let go and composed herself. "Sorry, but we're not all as stand-offish as you think. I guess it reminded me of when Dunkelzahn was killed, and I was a wreck after that. I just about adored him." She took a deep breath, and was suddenly dry. "I never said, but when Hamato and I had you re-built, I guess it got to me and I never knew it. All I know right now is I don't want to lose you."

I couldn't help it. "What am I, a dog?" My smile defused the words a little, but she got my point. I could see her trying to figure it out herself and try to put it into words.

Someone once pointed out that Big D and other dragons might be concerned about metahumans, and maybe even like us, but they weren't anything like us. They might as well have been from another planet, for all they had in common with us. I didn't quite buy that, and that comes from what I remembered, as well as what we'd been through. Of all the dragons – including the Greats – Hestaby had been the most approachable and personable, at least until All-Wings semi-revealed herself nearly four years ago. We never knew until that day Ms M was a Great Dragon. And now Hestaby was acting like the human woman she appeared to be in public. I couldn't help myself again: "So this is how it feels to go mad."

Feminine giggling broke the spell. "Okay, I'm better." Hestaby looked at me for a long moment, then said, "Who are you? I see Keith, but the thoughts aren't his, or not exactly." I explained, and she looked at me for a long, quiet time. "I can just see it. Howling Coyote brought you here? I don't see how. He's dead."

"Weren't you listening?"

"I was, but I can't accept that. Metahumans leave this plane when they die, except as E-ghosts, and I'm not going there. So do we."

"Then explain Lethe," I said. Hestaby looked at me for another long moment. "Look, I know it sounds like I'm hosed, but come on. Sometimes I talk about things only Keith's _grand_father could have known about like I was there, and I was, in some cases. The problem is, this timeline's different from 'real life', and from what's supposedly correct. In gaming, we interpret to suit ourselves. It's the only theory I've got, and it sounds crazy, but I think I'm stuck in someone's game, and have to follow their rules. All I can do is play it by ear." Hestaby smiled, and I replied, "Yeah, I'm a Elf, I can't do anything else."

Naomi brought Hestaby some coffee – still real food, as none of us could stand soy – and sat her at the table. She sat beside the dragon and looked into the distance. "Even if it's all true, that doesn't change anything. Someone's playing rough, and we have to find out who and why. You've got Henry checking where he can, and I'll connect with some old contacts from my Fuchi days, but what about you? I thought you had a few when we met, but you never talked to them that I saw."

"They thought I was dead, and if I do, I might get them killed," I answered. "Well, I can think of three, but they're not happy with me. You're one reason, Naomi. My old team, what's left of it." I stopped and flipped through the directory on my 'link and found the names, then set up a text message and sent it: _"We need to talk."_ I looked at the table, then dropped into AR as I accessed and logged into JackPoint. "This may take a while," I said as the opening screen appeared. I turned my ears' sensitivity down and paid attention.

I got FastJack in nothing flat. He looked at me as though he was seeing things, but only said, "What the hell, 'Wolf? Word is you're dead, but here you are. What the frag?"

I explained again, then said, "You might boil that down into something better and check with the Awakened, 'Jack. All I know is what I went through, and no one I've told seems to believe it. Oh, yeah, what was the final count? Who'd we lose after the ACHE mess?"

"No word from Turbo Bunny since then, but that doesn't mean anything. We thought she was dead after she got hooked on BTLs, but she re-appeared a few months later, and she was clean. NetCat and Slamm-O! are gone, but they're raising a kid and promised they'd be back. The only ones we haven't heard from – other than Fatima – are Blackrazor and MirrorSoul."

"Those last two I don't know. What happened to Fatima, 'Jack? All I know is what Pistons hinted at, and it wasn't much. I must have missed that."

"It's not for me to tell." FastJack's icon rezzed-out briefly, then he asked, "What do you want?" I told him about Spiritkiller disappearing on me, and added, "Mika and Ma'fan might have heard something, but it's only been two weeks." I looked at the log-on status indicator. "I think Elijah and Frosty should know. They hear things along those lines. Maybe a general notice for everyone."

"They won't tell you or bring it back for free," he reminded me needlessly.

"Frag that. I've still got most of a million nuyen. If I have to buy it back, I will. If someone's got it, I'm going to take back what's mine. Big D didn't leave it to _them_, scan?"

'Jack nodded. "I can do that. Want me to put out a few feelers? See what's on?"

"No, what's going is fine. I want whoever it was to know they missed, and they've got one pissed Wolf on their hoop, if they're not careful. Never mind they shot me, I want what's mine."

I watched as 'Jack looked at me for a while. "I guess it's true. You don't talk like Blackwolf, not really. What do I tell the others?"

"Someone tried to geek me, and they missed. That's the official buzz, 'Jack. I want them to worry while I close in, and I will. I take being killed personally," I finished with a feral grin.

"I bet you do," 'Jack replied ironically. "Okay, chummer, you got it. Word's going out … now, and I'll ask for you."

"Thanks, 'Jack." I forwarded him three hundred nuyen for his trouble. "Catch you later. Got to see a man about a gun." I logged out as he nodded, and I came out of AR to see Naomi and Hestaby watching. "I need another way to get on," I said as I rubbed my chin.

"No way, unless you get wired for it," Naomi replied. "And you used to have nightmares about Crash 2.0, Keith. I don't see that happening."

"It doesn't matter. I'm going to find where I was shot from, and maybe we can find a trace. Magic or mundane, they don't always get it all. I'm going to find who fired the shot, make him sing, then go from there. If this is the past coming at us again, I'm going to stop it. No fraggin' more."

As I said that, I saw _+4 Karma_ appear to the side. I guess I'd done good; it was only two days at most, and a lot of talking, but I reminded myself getting the plot moving counted, at least according to the rules. I let that go. I stood up and moved to the weapons locker, thinking as I looked at what was available. I'd have to get more ammunition if I was going to start hunting, plain and simple. I keyed my 'link again and our usual Fixer/supplier Daniel answered. "Yeah, the buzz is I'm dead. Not true, dude," I said as he looked at me in surprise.

_ "Ooo-kay. I was wondering what to do with the desktop forge you asked for. I've got a large one, and five hundred kilos of clean feedstock just like you asked, and that wasn't easy to get. You still want it?"_

"Bet your hoop I do," I replied. Making modifications without parts isn't easy, but the forge would be a big help. "What's it gonna cost me?" I asked as I called up my balance. I still had over eight hundred fifty thousand nuyen left. I guess Keith's really careful with money.

_"All together, three-ninety kay. You still got the truck?"_ I nodded. _"Great. Come in, and we'll go from there."_ He cut off so abruptly I wondered if he was in on it, but I didn't really believe it. Probably didn't want to be on too long, which made sense after Judith was killed. I looked at the truck, then turned away and began loading magazines for the HVAR, Alpha and Barrett. I didn't think I'd need them, but I never thought I'd be taken out so easily. I thought about loading the MAG-5 Gatlin, but passed. That thing's for fire support and suppression, mostly. I wondered what I was thinking.

Naomi watched, and I knew she didn't like what she was seeing, but also that she understood. I felt like a heel, because I didn't want her to know those messages Henry had recovered came from one of my former team, and I wanted to know why I was set up. Swallow had said they were all working for Spencer, and I didn't think his fall had hurt them very much. Either way, I wanted to know what they knew, or if they were even involved. One nasty truth about the Sixth World is you can never really tell who you're dealing with, even face-to-face. It made for some really paranoid people, and I was rapidly becoming one of them.

Hestaby sat there, watching me, then I heard her real speech, _What's happening?_

I sub-vocalized, _"Wolf's going hunting, H. I've got to do something, or I'll go stir-crazy, and I might as well start looking. If I find anything, I'll tell Henry, and have him tell you."_

_That's not all of it_. I let the accusation hang there. _Can I help?_

_"This is my problem, but you can ask the Foundation if they've heard anything. Just don't be too specific, okay? I don't know Nadja other than by reputation, and she won't bother you with questions. She'll just start digging."_

She seemed satisfied with that, and returned to her coffee as the rain began to slacken. I finished my work and said, "I'll be back in a few hours. I'm gonna need Rydia's help."

Naomi stood and intercepted me. "You be careful. I want you back."

"Don't worry. I'm just going to check a few locations and pick up the equipment. If anyone starts anything, we're more than capable of dishing it right back out." She nodded, hugged me and went into the living area. I sighed. "Just once, y'know? I'd like to go a year without being dragged into something." I was remembering Keith's past few years, and they'd been eventful.

"Don't worry about it, or not too much," Hestaby said. "Get going. I'll talk with All-Wings if she gets here first." She paused. "Any ideas who might benefit from this? I can think of a few, but I don't see how they'd pull it off without someone noticing."

"Not a clue. That's what makes this so fraggin' fun," I replied with a twisted smile. She rolled her eyes as I put the assault rifles in the cab. "Leave a light on, willya?" She nodded as I left and crossed the street, turning my collar up against the wind. The area was clear, and I jogged across.

The door opened as I got there, and Sophia said, "I'm going with you, Blackwolf. You need my help, and you know it."

"Did Rydia put you up to this?" I asked as Kallenberg joined us, adjusting her coat as she walked.

"As a matter of fact, I did. I'm getting a feel for you, and I don't know what that means. You want to check out the firing nest, right?"

"That wasn't too hard to figure out," Norris replied. "You said your 'link had a message before the shot. I might be able to find a trace while Rydia does her mystical thing."

I smiled. "Yeah, you've got me figured out. Don't do it again. You both ready?" They nodded. "Okay. I'll be stopping at Daniel's to pick something up on the way, and see what he's heard." I opened the door. "Let's go."

We crossed he street quickly and entered the house, and I put the Barrett in the bed under a tarp, just in case. You never know when you might have to break something a kilometer a way. Hestaby grinned knowingly, and I said, "Y'know, this is getting really old, H. Stop it. You're acting like one of us, and that's kinda freaky."

"What, like a metahuman?"

"No, one of _us_. I think – no, I _know_ we're a bad influence."

She smiled nastily and said, "Consider this revenge for getting in the way at my vault."

"How were we supposed to know?" She nodded, conceding, and sent back to her 'link as we got into the truck. After I started it, I asked the girls, "How are you armed?"

"The usual," Rydia said. I nodded, opened the door and drove out.

(((())))

Daniel's new digs were better in lots of ways: Nondescript and secure, yet still easy-access. The cameras were obvious, and there were others that weren't. I guess after nearly being blown up in '70 he was getting cautious. I keyed my 'link, and the roll-up door opened. I drove in and waited until the lights came on, then drove on in when the second door opened. I don't blame Daniel for doing it this way. Seattle's not as bad as other places, but it's still dangerous in general. Knight Errant was doing a better job than Lone Star, but outside Downtown it got iffy, and progressively darker from there.

As we got out, Daniel walked in from his office. "Hey, Rydia, Sophia. What's going on?"

"You heard about me being shot." He nodded. "We're going to check the area. Someone might have been a little careless."

Daniel nodded again. "Well, here it is," he said, pulling a tarp off the forge and feedstock. I took a good look at it, and liked what I saw. A desktop forge let anyone manufacture parts without having to leave a data trail, provided they weren't too ambitious. The regular feedstock had stealth RFID chips in it. Use enough and they'd identify "unauthorized" parts. I wasn't planning anything big, but I didn't want to be traced at all. Someone tried to kill me back in '57, and damn near succeeded; this time they had, and I didn't want them to get the hat-trick.

I had to stop and think about that. It was getting harder to separate myself from Keith, but I didn't mind that much. I had to _be_ Blackwolf if I was going to survive, plain and simple. Maybe he'd come back, if this worked out. I couldn't see Howling Coyote doing anything half-way, not after the Ghost Dance.

I nodded approvingly and said, "Looks good. I need some ammo, about five hundred rounds for the Preds, HVAR and Alpha, and a thousand for the MAG-5. A hundred Barrett, too."

"Grenades?" I nodded, and he thought for a minute. "I'll throw 'em in. This helps me out, too. Someone gets Majestic, they'll probably come after me next. It's like they're going after all of you."

"What?" I asked. "What have you heard?"

"Super Joe was killed a week before you were shot. Something about an ambush near the Free Zone. It was drek. They found his body there, but he wasn't killed there, according to my contact. I tried to contact you, but you never answered."

"Did he have that funky-looking belt on him?" Rydia asked intently.

"No, he didn't." He looked at me and put it together. "They got Spiritkiller?"

"I think the Artifact game has finally reached us," Kallenberg said. "It's a good thing Fox, Henry, Ian and Hugo are here. At least we can cover each other."

I tilted my head to one side and thought about that. It made sense. We still didn't know much about the items we got from Big D's will, other than what they did. The obvious question was who'd want them bad enough to kill for them.

"Who'd want them so bad?" Sophia asked, echoing my thoughts.

It hit me, and I said, "Dragons. Remember how pissed they were? I wouldn't put it past Lofwyr. Maybe even Ghostwalker. He was the loudest." The words _+ 10 Karma_ appeared right after. _Oh, boy, this must be an epic campaign_, I thought.

Daniel stared at me, his eyes wide. "Oh, you are so hosed, omae."

"Let's get this loaded and hit it. Things could get nasty, and fast," I said as I grabbed a cart.

(((())))

The drive north was quiet. I was concentrating on the road while Rydia was trying to poke any holes in my theory. So far, she had nothing. Sophia was in VR, talking to Henry while she checked ShadowSEA for rumors, then uploaded a message from me to JackPoint about what the dragons might be up to, especially the Greats. I had to include Hestaby. Even after today, I still couldn't shake the feeling she might be behind this, though I couldn't think of why. She'd revered Dunkelzahn, and I didn't think she'd go against his wishes, even after he was dead. I wondered if her latest run of stunts wasn't part of his plans; it made sense if you went with the idea that he had other plans that went past 2064, when the publicly-known stuff ended.

The road wasn't bad, and the rain mostly rolled off; the highway into Puyallup was strangely resistant to the weather, and I wondered why, then let it go. That was something for another time. The site came into view, and I noticed the shallow grave was mostly sunken-in. Good. I didn't want them to see it. Let them believe Keith Dawson was really back and driving them around, instead of his doppelgänger.

I stopped the truck, grabbed the Alpha and stepped out. I flicked my 'link's screen, and the trajectory I'd worked out appeared, with the possible firing point highlighted. I looked to the west and saw a collection of pre-Crash apartment buildings in the distance. "Okay, that looks like it. Keep your eyes open when we get there."

"Keith?" I looked at Sophia. "I'm getting a signal. It's weak, but gets stronger in that direction." She was looking at the same buildings.

"You can tell?"

"Oh, yeah, easy. It's like you listening to a particular sound. Even a couple feet makes a difference."

I looked at Rydia, who was scanning the horizon, probably Assensing. When she looked up, she said, "There's _something_ in that direction, but I can't tell what it is, yet."

"When will you know?"

"Within a quarter mile. It's not hard to feel, but it's something different. Kinda like a rift, but not quite."

"I don't like that, but when did I like anything? Okay, let's go, and keep your guns handy."

"I don't need a gun," Rydia countered with an evil grin. "I've gotten better in the past couple years." When I smiled, she said crossly, "Do guys _ever_ grow up?"

"Do you really want an answer?" I led the way back to the truck, and we were off.

We reached the apartment block about a half-hour later. The rain was really coming down, and the road wasn't too good. I wasn't in that big a hurry, either. "Whatever it is, it's a lot stronger," Rydia said as we got out. "Definitely like a rift, but not exactly. Something came in and left the same way, maybe."

"The signal's coming from there," Sophia said as she pointed to the eastern block. "It's not the Matrix, though. More like a commlink. Gimme a second." Her face went blank after she sat on the step. I wondered how she dealt with the cold and wet; she still wore the short skirt and loose top. She came out fast. "There's a camera watching us."

I nodded, took out the Alpha and slung the HVAR after switching to EX-Explosive rounds and loading gel into the Preds. "Okay, so someone knows we're here. Is anyone else here?" Rydia shook her head. "Then that's it. Let's go."

We walked up to the entrance, and I had a feeling of _dej__à__ vu_. It reminded me of the Ares lab where we found Snowfire, and I think Rydia, too. The doors were unlocked and some of them hung crazily, the glass smashed. The interior was dark, and seemed darker under the leaden sky. I carefully picked my way in, and didn't need to tell them to walk where I did. This sort of thing was becoming old hat.

Something moved to the right, and I activated the light intensifiers and thermograph. Okay, it was just a scrawny, feral house cat. I kept my ears tuned to listen for it, though. Nothing was ever what it seemed any more.

Our footsteps echoed in the empty atrium as we moved inside. A glance told us the elevators wouldn't help, even if they had power; they were wide open, and the interiors had been stripped of anything useful. I looked for the stairs and nodded that way, taking point. Rydia took Sophia's hand, which made me think she was looking on the Astral on the walk. She confirmed that by saying, "Astral's clear. Some trace, but it's very faint. I've got it, though. I might be able to locate them, if we have to."

I murmured a soft, "Okay", and took the first flight of stairs, moving with my almost-signature cat-like grace. I was briefly surprised when "Team chat" came up, then realized Sophia could do that, too. "Signal's still there," her voice said in my ear. "No change." I sub-vocalized a quick "Roger".

We climbed, moving as silently as ghosts, pausing long enough for me to take a quick look and listen at each floor entrance. It looked like we were the only ones here. No signs anyone squatted here, no sign anyone had ever been here, and I wondered why. Like Redmond, Puyallup had been a thriving community even after part of Redmond became Glow City, and before the first Crash. Even so, there should have been hundreds, if not a few thousand squatters trying to eke out a living in the abandoned buildings. This apartment complex would have been perfect, but it looked and sounded empty, so far. No people at all meant something was wrong, and I had the feeling what happened to me was just a part of that.

Rydia had kept quiet, but every now and then she looked at – possibly through – a wall with a look of consternation. As she did that at the third floor I asked through chat, "What's wrong? You don't look really happy."

"No people. None at all within a half-mile of this place. The road in was in too good of shape, too. The Astral looks weird – well, weirder than usual, but it's clear inside that half-mile. It's centered here, but I can't see anything."

I thought about that, then remembered I'd researched Seattle's ley-lines. "Are we on a ley-line? They do strange things, sometimes."

She nodded as I checked the fourth floor. "That could be, but it doesn't explain why this area's empty. Most people never notice them, unless they're looking, and know what to look for. This is something else."

Sophia didn't have anything to say, other than, "The signal's still there. Getting stronger as we get closer, but that's it."

"Transmitting, or receiving?" I asked. That was important, and I should have asked when she mentioned the camera feed.

"Transmitting, but I don't know where to." She shivered as she hugged herself. "This is creeping me out. I think we should have brought more."

"I'm beginning to think you're right. There's way too much going on for just hitting me," I replied, then stopped with a hand up for silence. I thought I heard voices below; I definitely heard footsteps. "Ah, drek, I think we've got company." I concentrated on the sounds. Definite footsteps and voices, now. Four people, by the voices. My eyes opened and I snarled. "Frag, we were set up. I recognize three of those voices," I said tightly.

"We don't have much cover," Rydia said. She'd seen what I'd seen, somehow. The floors were all open space without anything to hide behind, except the support columns. "Congratulations on leading us into a trap."

Sophia was concentrating on something else. "Okay, the signal changed. Transmitting and receiving. Who's the hacker?"

"Brian Gleason. I'm surprised he's still around and working. He's gotta be closing in on fifty." I thought a moment. "Okay, it makes sense. Whoever wanted to get me would look for them."

"Who else?" Rydia asked. "Any magic?"

"When our team came together there wasn't much to speak of. Mages stayed put as magical security, never in the field. That might have changed, but I don't think so. The other two are Dave Barrows and Jason Grey Cloud. Brian's the hacker-rigger, Dave's the face and leader and Jason's the other infiltrator. Out of them, he's the dangerous one, and he's unaugmented, or he was last I knew."

"Okay, I don't sense anything. Firepower?"

"No idea. Sophia can probably learn that when they get closer, but we need to get moving," I said as I by-passed the next floor and sped up slightly. "The roof might have cover. Move it, but keep it down."

We managed to move fairly quickly and stay quiet, and I heard the voices fade as we left them behind. I barely checked when I heard "Face" Barrows call, "We know you're here, Blackwolf. Don't make this any harder than it has to be." I kept quiet and kept moving, grinding my teeth in anger at myself. I knew there might be a set-up, but I wasn't expecting this.

Rydia paused, picked up a handful of concrete dust, held it in front of her face while murmuring something, then blew it out into the stairwell behind us. The cloud grew as it moved down, obscuring everything. I heard "Sleaze" Gleason swear and smiled. "Good idea," I said, and she smiled. "We get out of this, I owe you dinner."

"You could end up owing both of us, and a lot more than that," she said. I looked at her, but she only smiled.

"I think Hugo might object."

"What he doesn't know won't hurt anyone."

"Before you start making plans, I saw him first," Sophia countered. "And let's get out of here alive, okay?" She took something out of her backpack and held it up on her palm. It was some kind of custom mini-drone, and it lifted off as she said, "Go find me something, baby." It flew up and out into the eighth floor area as we passed. "Gotta see what we can see."

I'd known the gals were good, but it took them taking out Blockbuster to show us guys just _how_ good. I took to privately calling them the _Gall Force_ after that, and I could see they hadn't stood still since we "retired" back in July '70. I was glad I'd never patronized them, even being near eighty-five. Like age matters to Elves.

We reached the roof access, and there was plenty of cover; the air conditioning structures wouldn't stop bullets, but they wouldn't see us right away. I took out a flash-bang, primed it and set it on top of the door. Pushing it open would make it fall and detonate, and it would give us a chance to catch them flat-footed. Provided "Cochise" wasn't on top of his game, of course.

Sophia found the signal source, and was studying it. I stopped nearby and took a look as Rydia readied what looked like foci and fetishes. I chuckled evilly as I thought, _What's a girl who doesn't have a fetish or two? Boring_. She looked at me as though she'd heard, but only smiled. "Mind out of the gutter," she said. Damn, she was learning, but it wasn't that hard to figure out.

The device looked like a half-dozen daisy-chained commlinks powered by a satchel-type peak-discharge battery pack, which shouldn't have worked, and I didn't think "Sleaze" had the know-how for it. Lasers and Thunderstruck cannons weren't that common, even now, and none of them were cheap. Neither were the packs. It made sense, though, because this arrangement could stay operating for months, perhaps years. If it didn't short out when being built. "What have you got?" I asked.

"A dirt-cheap, jury-rigged re-trans setup," she replied as she accessed the rig. "Hmm, some storage, but not a lot. It's meant to pass things on, obviously."

"Satellite?"

She nodded at a small dish a few meters away. "Yeah, and that makes sense. No way to trace it past here." She did something and the whole mess powered-down. "There. I'll look at it later." She looked at me. "Your place? You're set up for explosions. I'm not."

"Naomi's gonna be a little pissed at me, maybe, but okay. I've got some electronics gear." I listened at the door, and said, "Here they come. Take cover, and don't shoot until and unless I do. I'm just here for information, not a fight. Not that I'll turn one down, in my mood."

Sophia picked up the units, then scurried behind a large vent stack. Rydia waved a hand as we hid, and the rainwater wiped our footprints away. I took the rainwater processing system for cover; it was close to the door, and had places to aim and fire through, if it came to it. Rydia stood behind another vent stack, took out her Predator and waited.

I watched and listened, then said, "Here we go" as the door opened, with "Face" in the lead. The grenade fell, rolled a meter out and detonated. Barrows caught the worst of it, but I could tell Jason, Gleason and the woman weren't much better off. I let them hear the Alpha cycle as I stepped out and said, "Move and you're gonna wish you were dead." I recognized her, and added, "What's going on, Raven?"

Raven was from the Salish territory on the Olympic Peninsula, and we'd been more than just friends for two years before Hestaby brought the letter from the Foundation. I never said I'd be back, and she'd been the one to say, _"I'll see you when I see you."_

Grey Cloud looked at me angrily. "You have no right to be here, Keith. You should be dead."

"Which time, Cochise? Ares, or two weeks ago?" He didn't flinch, but I knew I'd cut him. "Okay, I get it. Who wanted Spiritkiller, and who told you I had it?"

"We can't tell you that. We'll die," Raven answered.

"I know it's a dragon. I want to know which one," I replied. "I think I can make a few guesses. All you have to do is shake your heads yes or no." I pointed to where the re-trans had been. "We'll figure it out, but this your chance to even things out. You set me up, and that's twice." I was talking to the guys, but Raven flinched. "Oh, I get it. They always knew where I was, didn't they?"

"I was there at Hamato's request," Raven said. "He'd gotten word you were going to die, and prepared for it. Hestaby made the collection herself. I was supposed to just watch you, not get more involved."

"Will you stop? You're gonna get us killed." Barrows snapped irritably.

Time hadn't been kind to him; he reminded me of one of those pathetic former disco kings who was trying to retain his glory, and failing. Gleason looked like your average older, gone-to-seed nerd, but that didn't really hurt him. Grey Cloud didn't look much different from before, while Raven looked about the same as I remembered. "Aren't you three a little old to be doing this?" I asked, and I wasn't being facetious. Most people in our former line of work retire long before they reach fifty-five. It was sometimes that rough.

"We got an offer we couldn't refuse," Brian said. "We're not hurting, but that wasn't it."

"Which one of you set me up?" _+5 Karma_ appeared, and I found myself grumbling. Can I go without being paranoid for more than a few minutes? The guys looked at Raven, and I couldn't say I was really surprised. I had barely known her while on the Kitsap peninsula. I'd been more or less happy to have someone besides Hestaby to talk to. I also remembered they never met, and were never in the same place at the same time. I wondered if I was being set up from then. The fact she didn't protest didn't help. "Why?" I asked. "It can't be because I never came back."

"Ghostwalker heard about a few things, and wanted to keep an eye on you. He wasn't happy when the Foundation's invitation came. He knew Dunkelzahn had more than he'd listed, and wanted something from the hoard, but he wouldn't say what. I guess now you know."

"You three get out of here, and if I ever see you again, you're dead meat," I snarled at the guys. "You're just hired guns, right?" I could see that stung them worse than anything else I could have done, but I didn't care. They were just mooks. Jason gave me a bad look, and I added, "Age is catching up with you guys, while I can laugh in its face. Do the math, and live to enjoy your retirement. Tell whoever contacted you he can deal with me. If it's Ghostwalker, _he_ can deal with Hestaby."

"Bad mistake, Blackwolf," Grey Cloud said. "Ghostwalker doesn't take no for an answer."

"He's just one dragon. I've got _two_ in my corner, and he's poaching. Leaving Super Joe's body near Denver is just sloppy work, and he's supposed to be better than that. Doesn't matter. He's not getting his way, and he's acting like he's pissed because he didn't get what he wanted from his bro for Christmas. It's not up to him, and Big D seemed to have rubbed that in his face," I said. It made an odd kind of sense. Probably too much. _+10 Karma_. Frag, I _hate_ being pessimistic … and right. I also hate Conspiracy campaigns, 'cause I tend to be right _way_ too often.

Raven turned and said, "Leave. Your part's done." As they left, she turned back and said, "Is Hestaby next?" I was suspicious, and it showed. "I'm supposed to be the weapon against her," she added as Rydia and Sophia walked out of their hiding places, with Kallenberg looking at Raven carefully. "Who's the other dragon?"

I ignored her question – like hell I'd give _that_ up – as I wondered _Lofwyr and Ghostwalker are allies?_ The Pointers had speculated along those lines, as both needed allies, and apparently had H as a common opponent. "So, what does Lofwyr have to offer?" _+10 Karma_. Okay, this was getting ridiculous, but I suppose I was going to need the Karma.

She stiffened, then relaxed. "Yeah, they're allied, and they're after her. She's the one impediment to their essentially dividing the continent between them." She smiled, and I recoiled. I never saw such outright ego in anyone. I though I knew her, but I've been wrong before. Gaming and real life. So far, real life hasn't killed me.

"They're in for a real surprise," Rydia said as she carefully searched Raven. She knew how, and Raven's reactions said so. Sophia looked at the re-trans, then at me.

"Save it for later," I said as Rydia put the collection of foci and fetishes away, and Mage-cuffed Raven. I wondered when she'd got those, but it made sense. "Is she magically tagged? I don't want to give those two anything, never mind where we're based."

"It doesn't matter. You're not leaving here," Raven said as Rydia spun around. I looked to see a rift or portal opening, and something coming through. It was big, ugly, had _way_ too many pointed appendages and the biggest teeth I'd ever seen. "We'll all go together."

I swung the Alpha into my hands as Rydia cast something. I noticed it was focused on her, and snapped, _"Toss that junk!"_ She looked startled, then pitched the small bag over the parapet. The thing looked as it fell, then focused on _me_. Well, we can't all be winners. I selected full-auto through the link and fired a full burst. I hit, and the rounds did their job, but not as much as they should have. Frag, I was going to have to empty the weapon, or use grenades, and _that_ could get a little juicy. I back-pedaled as it lunged my way, then dive-rolled away from the gals. Even Raven. I wanted her alive for Hestaby.

Rydia hit it with a fireball, and that did more. It was either susceptible to magic, or fire. Screw it, I couldn't buy a weapon for _every_ contingency, never mind use them all. When it turned, Sophia double-tapped it, and I was surprised when it staggered. She must have critted. I retreated more as I back-shot it, and it lumbered my way. I waited as long as I could, then popped an HE in its face, hoping everyone else was outside the blast radius. It detonated, and I went flying. I tried to roll with it, and partly succeeded, but I landed hard and slammed into the parapet behind me. I figured if I'd waited too long, I'd have air-swum all the way to the ground. That would have hurt.

The explosion had me reeling from the concussion, but the round did its job. The thing wasn't dead, but it wasn't in any condition to fight. It laid there, struggling to get what was left of its front legs under it, greenish-yellow ichor steaming out onto the roof as the rain washed it away. Rydia took out a large, oddly-made revolver, loaded one cartridge, took careful aim and fired. The critter stiffened, then collapsed as though pole-axed while Rydia picked herself up after the recoil put her on her ass. What a shame, it was a nice ass, too.

I stood up and leaned against the parapet until my head stopped spinning, then checked for injuries. Wow, nothing except a few bruises. The gymnastics paid off. _+25_ _Karma_ appeared, and I had to stop and look at the thing again. 75 Karma total for _that_? What the hell was it? Never mind, we'd find out soon enough.

Raven looked at us with her mouth hanging open in surprise. Apparently, no one had beaten one of these before, and I had to wonder if it wasn't a Horror. I barely knew about them (from the _Shadowrun_ wikis), but they were tough, going by the implications. I looked at Rydia. "Spike zone?" She looked, and shook her head. "Okay, someone's playing for keeps. Let's go before they try again." _+10 Karma_. Damn it, _enough._

(((())))

The drive back was quiet. Sophia was between Rydia and the door, studying the re-trans. Raven was between me and Rydia, where we could both reach her. Nobody seemed to want to talk (I sure didn't), and we were cold, wet and crowded. I'd thought briefly of stuffing Raven under the tarp with the other stuff, but she might have gotten loose and jumped. She shivered every now and then, and I didn't think it was from the cold. She knew Hestaby would be asking questions, and she didn't know about All-Wings. I'd thought, from what I'd read about in Wikipedia about _Earthdawn_, that she was dead. Of course, our GM had other ideas, and let us know at the end. That was the topper of that campaign, for sure.

Rydia looked at Raven every few minutes, and I couldn't read her expression. That wasn't unusual, but this was more than that. Being able to read someone's eyes was a lot of figuring out what they were thinking, and that was out. She was as poker-faced as anyone I'd ever met, and that was a little spooky. I couldn't tell if it was because of me, or something else, given what she'd said earlier. I put that out of my mind. There were other things to worry about.

Soon, we arrived at home, and instead of dropping the gals off, I drove straight into the house. As soon as the truck stopped, Sophia got out, headed straight for my little electronics shop and started poking at the re-trans setup. It was wet, but nothing was damaged. Rydia took Raven firmly by the arm and led her to the table as Naomi and Hestaby came out of the living area. Raven went pale as Hestaby scowled, and I thought this wasn't going to be fun for anyone.

I got out and carefully unloaded the truck, making sure the forge was dry. After that came the feedstock, followed by the Barrett, which went back into the locker with the HVAR. I set the Alpha in the weapons shop area and set a cleaning kit near it as Naomi grabbed and hugged me, ignoring the water. _"I told you I'd be back,"_ I said in Japanese as I kissed her. _"I try to keep my promises."_

Raven tried uselessly to run, but the place was closed up tight, and there wasn't anywhere to run, anyway. Out-run a dragon? You could breathe underwater a hell of a lot easier. "Give up," Hestaby said as Rydia dragged her back. "I can see what they can't, and do you really think I'm afraid of Lofwyr or Ghostwalker? You can save yourself by coming clean, Raven. Even though you betrayed me, I can see you had no real choice. _At first_, that is."

"H, I need to show you something," I said. She walked over as I down-loaded images from my cybereyes. "What the hell is this?"

She took one look and went pale. "Where did you see this?" I showed her the location, told her what little I knew and explained what Rydia had told me. She grew thoughtful, then said, "Okay, that could be. But why would those two want to do that? The Horrors went after every living thing, even dragons. The worst enjoyed making anyone they could suffer. That's why the Blood Wood came into being." When I looked at her questioningly, she told me, and explained about Aina. As I shuddered, she said, "That's right. As the magic level rises, they'll be able to come through from the Metaplanes without help. However, you saw they can be killed, so maybe this time they'll be destroyed, or convinced to go somewhere else for their fun."

"I should have stayed in bed. Both times. Okay, I've got a few things to do, and Sophia's gonna be busy." I nodded in Raven's direction. "She's all yours."

"No, I'll wait until Ms M gets here. We'll do this _right._" Hestaby's smile looked Draconic even in human form, and that made me shiver. I'd never seen it before, and it said a lot of things, all bad. "Oh, don't worry, I'll let her live if she cooperates. Not sure about letting her go, but I'm sure you and Naomi could use a slave." I looked at her with a _WTF?_ expression, and she said, "Well, think about it. We can't let her go just yet, and she needs a lesson in why you don't ally yourself with the wrong people. She's gonna _earn_ it, Keith."

I just stood there staring, and she patted my cheek. "Sorry. You didn't know, because you haven't seen it before. Everyone's right when they say you haven't seen anything until you see it in a dragon. Ask Frosty. She can tell you." She smiled sadly and walked away, leaving me to re-evaluate … everything. A little voice in the back of my head said, _I _told_ you not to make that deal, didn't I?_

I shook it off, and started spending Karma. I took a breath and brought Strength and Body to Rating 4 each. I blinked when I saw they only cost 12 each, then figured I was under SR4 rules, not SR4A. This would help. Not only doing more, I got another condition box. I improved my Martial Arts Quality, gaining +1 to Dodge in melee, then took two Maneuvers, Ground Fighting (always useful) and Set-Up. I still needed to see my _sensei_, but that wasn't a problem. I had to think about Skill Groups, now. I'd need them. The question was which one did I need _most_? I did as much up-close, in-your-face fighting as I did shooting. I had other skills to improve, too. _Decisions, decisions_...

I finally chose the Stealth group, mostly because I generally did well in combat, but didn't always in that area. I hadn't used it much because of that, but now I could. I'd probably do better being sneaky than tough, if I paid attention, and I remembered some guards had been real rocks. So, next I had to go after individual skills. I pushed Perception up to 3, for an effective 9 with the augmentations; Escape Artist up to 2, effectively 10 with High Pain Tolerance. I had to think again, because HPT made wounds feel less severe, keeping them from slowing me down as fast, as well as helping Escape Artist. I improved it. It had saved my hoop a few times.

Okay, now I had to be choosy. Street gang knowledge was a little thin, so that went up. I finally pushed my skill at Sperethiel _and _Japanese up, because I'd rather talk privately to Naomi in those, and we could go fast, hopefully leaving anyone else in the dust. Hey, what's private is _private_, damn it. There were things I'd tell her long before the others, even Hestaby, and they didn't need to know. Not really.

That was it; all done. I was wishing I had more Karma, but I knew there'd be more, faster than I'd like to think. In two days I'd accumulated 84 Karma, with only one serious fight, mostly by being paranoid. I had to wonder what I was getting into, and how deep. And that was what I'd gotten; I had to wonder about the others. In fact, I'd spent a fair chunk of nuyen, and been smart about it, so maybe being smart helped. I'd see soon enough.

I turned my attention back to Hestaby and Raven, and noticed Rydia wasn't in sight. My one-time lover was looking down at the table, hiding her face behind her hair, as though in shame. I didn't recall hearing any voices, but I knew how unnerving Hestaby's gaze could be. There are people who can do that, just look at you and you start squirming, then asking them to stop. It doesn't work that well on me, but I can see how someone with a lesser will could crack. Now ramp it up to three or four times worse. That's Hest. Oh, she doesn't mind the nick-name or calling her "H". That was settled fifteen years ago, when we met, and it keeps her name out of things. Hell, Majestic didn't know who she was until we did a run for her. All they'd heard was H, who they assumed was another Johnson. Sometimes I get things right.

Naomi walked in from the living area with food, and she said, "Stop that, please. I know you're pissed, but it's rude, Hestaby. Rydia! Lunch!"

_"I'll be right out,"_ Kallenberg's voice replied from the bathroom.

"All right, but only because you asked," H replied. "Well, okay, I'm hungry, too," she added with a smile.

Naomi walked to Raven's side and said, "I'll have those taken off if you give your word you won't try anything. Don't think for one second Keith won't choose me over you, Raven. That decision was made before you were born." That wasn't quite true, but I kept silent as Rydia emerged and joined them. She was right, Raven came in a distant second. I'd loved Naomi from the first, and never stopped. She might not be worth killing for, but she was worth _dying_ for.

Raven only nodded, and the cuffs fell off. I wondered until I saw what appeared to be a simsense link on them, and that made sense. No way to open them except by authorized personnel. I had to wonder whose idea that was, and it was even money on Naomi, Rydia or Sophia. I walked over and joined them when Naomi looked expectantly in my direction. I looked to the shop area and said, "Come and eat, Sophia. You don't waste real food."

She stopped and looked at me. "No squirrel on a stick?" she asked, then broke up into giggles when I rolled my eyes. "Okay, sorry." She stretched – just like a cat, unsurprisingly – and joined us, sparing Raven a nasty glare. "I think I've got it figured out. I'll need a few more minutes." She rolled her eyes in pleasure as she took a bite of Namoi's _sukiyaki_. "Mmmm, wow. This is real food? It's almost as good as nutrisoy."

I face-palmed as Hestaby chuckled. "Behave, or that spank account I threatened a while back opens right now."

Sophia leaned on her elbows, put her chin atop her bridged hands and purred, "_Ooohhh_, tell me more."

Rydia laughed as I dropped my fork theatrically and said, "I give up. I can't civilize these kids." _+10 Karma_.

(((())))

Acknowledgments: Some references to _Stargate SG-1_, as well as other shows. SR4 and SR4A do have that Karma cost difference; I don't know if it's _errata_, but our GM used it anyway.

A/N: I'll reveal more about this particular version of the _Shadowrun_ timeline as we go. Just take it as an Alternate Universe, like anything in gaming. Some things the characters say is directly from the campaign. Other than that, I'm just winging it.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I chose D&D because D20 isn't listed, and it's the same group. I'll be moving from game to game, taking the path less travelled, among other things.

Chapter 2 – Sleepless?

Hestaby chuckled as I retrieved my fork, and replied, "You don't mean half of what you say."

I sub-vocalized, _"Wanna bet?"_ and she looked at me the way my mother used to. Pick either one. _"You have no idea how hard it was not to hit on Sophia or Rydia, H. The only one I refused to touch was Daffy. Can you guess why?"_ I said before stuffing food in my mouth. I saw Sophia watching, her expression pinched, like she was trying to hear over the noise from the rain. "Problem, Sophia?"

"I get the feeling you don't trust me."

"I do. I don't want to insult you, at least not inadvertantly," I finished with a smile. It was her turn to roll eyes. "You had to ask, didn't you?"

"Stop it, Blackwolf," Rydia said. "Not in front of guests. They might get ideas."

I glanced at Raven, then Hestaby. "Okay, but it might be too late."

"Speaking of uncivilized," Kallenberg muttered.

"Live on your own in the forest for eleven years and see how much of that veneer _you_ lose," I countered. "Look, none of us are exactly ready for high society. They wouldn't want us, and I don't know about anyone else, but I don't want _them._ I've seen them at some functions where I played security, and they're so good and perfect they don't go to the can. It's so wonderful being them we can't even begin to understand, but we have to be satisfied with our mud-grubbing because we'll never have a chance. They're big-money, high-class _trash_, Rydia. Like your dad."

That was unfair, and I knew it, but I had to get her to think about it. Only Majestic knows Rydia's an Ork, and she's fortunate enough to look human. Why? Dude, I'm a fraggin' _nigger_, and an Elf. Anyone thinks prejudice is gone in the Sixth World is a full lobotomy case. It's more wide-spread than ever, 'cause there's so much more for the fraggin' bigots to hate, whatever skin they wear. I remind everyone that Clockwork – an _Ork_ variant – tried to hand NetCat over to Novatech because she was a Technomancer. There was a covert Ares facility that was a _lot_ like Queen Victoria Hospital, and other facilities that _vivisected_ these kids to find out what made them tick. Sophia was there, and so was Jessica, before they escaped. I saw that place later, and there were more than fifty bodies telling me the rest weren't as lucky. The one survivor we freed was shot dead by one of my former team to keep the place secret. You want to talk bigotry, prejudice and race hatred? Chummer, the Klan are fraggin' _amateurs_.

I was reminding Rydia she was Damien's kid so she'd remember what happened to the others, and how _they_ were treated: Most died suddenly and mysteriously when they tried to claim what was theirs, or were used as bargaining chips by the other Megas, while Damien ignored them, pretended they didn't exist. Rydia was the only one to see what was what before it was too late, and disappeared into the Shadows. I'm not sure, but she may be the only survivor. She has more reason to stay out of sight, even if Damien names her as his heir; _especially_ if he does. I wouldn't want to be anyone in that position. There's no doubt in my mind "Trojan Man" would do that for spite.

Rydia looked at me poisonously, then said, "Okay, you made your point. Damn you. I know all that, remember?"

"Just wanted to make sure you got it," I replied. "Let's face the facts, Rydia. We don't fit, and never will, and even if we could, _they_ wouldn't let us in. So who's uncivilized? And what the hell brought that up?"

Rydia sighed. "I don't know, maybe we're acting like we always do in front of Hestaby?"

Hestaby looked at me warningly before saying, "Honestly, you're over-reacting. If I could tolerate Super Joe for a few days, I can deal with anything." Rydia did a double-take, and Hestaby continued, "Mm-hmm. I always thought Keith was exaggerating, right up until I got a good look at him. That's when I saw he was _toning it down_."

Rydia looked at her for a long moment as Sophia jumped in, "Look, I don't mind, and Hestaby doesn't seem to, Rydia. I'm sure if she did, Blackwolf would know it right away." She looked at me and said, "You were pretty stiff when I first met you; you loosened up a lot as time went by, so I guess you got comfortable with everyone." I nodded, and she went on, "Nice to know we got to see the real you, so to speak." That sunny smile changed to an evil grin _so_ easily.

"Actually, you did," I admitted. "I'm what you could call a reluctant hero. I'll do the right thing, usually, but not for the right reasons. Mostly my own."

"From what I know, that's not too bad," Naomi said. She looked at Raven. "I hope you appreciated him while he was there."

Raven nodded. "It was just an assignment, Naomi. At first. I was glad when he left. I felt guilty, and I was about to break cover. Knight never knew what he had, and what he's got to deal with."

"He does after San Jose," Sophia replied. "I was sure you were going to kill Spencer."

"Not with that dead-man rig he was wearing, and I really wanted him to _pay_ for what he did," I replied. "Though I found myself wishing I'd hit him what that grenade Snowfire handed me, instead of the controls." I sighed. "Well, it's over and done. Maybe." I stopped and thought for a few minutes as I ate, then took out my 'link and called Henry.

_"What's up?"_ he asked.

"Henry, did you ever find out who grabbed Snowfire? We got the ones behind it, but I think we need to take care of the slots who actually did the dirty work. Make sure everyone knows what happens when you frag-over a dragon who's just minding his own business, scan?"

I saw him nod dubiously. _"If it's in that 'link I grabbed, I'll find it, but you might want to wait until we finish what we've got going now."_

"Don't worry, I can wait. Just have it ready for when we can. They need to be taught a lesson." Henry nodded again, and cut off.

"Now you know why, Keith. You don't let what you think of as injustice go," Hestaby said as she wiped her mouth; Naomi insisted on using napkins. "Your rep's the other reason." I didn't know what to say, so I looked uncomfortable and finished my coffee. Taking complements has never been very easy for me. My suspicious nature, the fact it doesn't happen very often and some old self-worth issues that haven't quite gone away. Hestaby looked at me in surprise, then said, "Okay, _now_ I believe the story. Keith never did that."

"So, there's really a human being behind that tough face," Sophia said quietly.

I chuckled ruefully. "There always was." I sat back, lit a cigarette and thought for a few minutes. _Lofwyr or Ghostwalker should hear about this fairly soon, if they haven't already. We need to think about what they might do. They can't act directly or they'll start that war everyone's worried about – Dragons versus everyone else. They can't be that sure of themselves, though. Would they really risk a Thor Shot? Dragons can be killed; Haesslich, Nachtmeister and Feuerswinge were, and even a Great can be taken down with the right numbers and firepower._ _+10 Karma_. Okay, I was on the right track. So was the handbasket.

Hestaby looked at me, and nodded every now and then. I guess dragons can hear thoughts when they need to. She said silently, _Yes, that's all true, but I can't see them going that far, or being so blatant_. She paused, then added, _I wonder if Alamais is behind all this. He'd do anything to bring his brother down a peg or two, and he'd use the tension between us_.

I snorted quietly as I took another drag. _Must be wonderful to be wanted_, I thought, and she suppressed a laugh.

Raven was watching us, probably wondering what was going on. Was I Hestaby's voice? What else was there? And of course, _Am I going to get out of this alive?_ Like H said, she'd have to earn it, and that meant answering questions. I stood up, and put my plate in the trash. Naomi's a wonderful cook, but knows better than to buy real dishes. That's one more thing we'd have to leave behind, if we had to run for it. The building and the gear I could afford to lose, but not my White Cat. I don't think Raven really believed that, but she only knew the Ghost of the Kitsap. I'm not even sure it was me, at first. I never asked. I don't want to know. I have a morbid imagination, just like everyone else.

I walked to the weapon shop and began cleaning the Alpha. I needed something simple and routine to settle down to. As I asked Hest four years ago regarding Big D, _What's a wizworm like him want with a guy like me?_ Not quite, but close enough. Same basic question.

I'd just gotten the weapon opened when my 'link played _Get A Job_ by Green Day. Ms M wanted to talk, or just let me know she was here. I activated it and said, "Speak."

There was a long silence, as though she didn't know how to react, then she replied, _"Okay, we need to talk. As soon as you're done, and that's everybody, including Hestaby."_

"Can do, ma'am. About thirty minutes. Off?"

Another long pause. _"Off."_ The channel went dead, and I resumed. No one said anything, and I didn't care to ask. I needed time to think, and maybe get used to the ideas that were rolling around my head.

(((())))

I opened the door myself for a change, and everyone was there. I wondered what All-Wings had in mind, but didn't ask. Henry said, "Conference room," and I motioned for him to lead the way. Namoi, Hestaby and Sophia went ahead, while I fell back and waited for Rydia to bring Raven in, then followed. I arrived last, and there was our "Lady in Red" sitting at the head of the table. I couldn't help smiling, as she was still in Elf guise, the dragon tattoo still peeking out from under her blouse just below her left collarbone. She looked at me penetratingly, and I just looked back, meeting her gaze. After a few seconds she said, "Sit down." I slouched in the chair at the opposite end of the table and waited as everyone sorted themselves out. She had some kind of agenda, or so it seemed.

"Before we get started, I want to ask Blackwolf something." She shifted to Sperethiel and asked, _"Who are you really? I can see someone else in there."_

"I'm surprised no one briefed you," I replied in the clear. "Okay, you're looking at a replacement. My name's Todd, and Daniel Howling Coyote brought me here. He said he needed a favor, but I didn't have time to ask what it was. He told me about Keith being killed, and that I'd have to investigate. He also said nothing should have happened past San Jose without the gaming group, but that had changed. He thinks someone's playing some kind of game, and I'm beginning to think so, too. I'm racking up Karma ridiculously fast for what seems piddly stuff. Too many obvious, convenient coincidences, too. Her," I nodded at Raven," and my team being involved, and then there's Lofwyr and Ghostwalker. It's too pat, too set-piece, like a rookie game master setting up his first big campaign." I smiled. "But I'm spoiled. Our usual GM is good at hitting us with complete surprises. Not knowing who Jessica really was until she told us, and then there was your second to last line in San Jose." I stopped and thought, then asked, "Would Dunklezahn really have been proud? I kinda find that hard to believe."

"He would have," she replied. "You probably exceeded some of his expectations, but you got through it with most of Majestic intact." I winced, and she said, "Not every team gets through any time without losses. In fact, it's extemely rare. So is doing what you did in seven months. It usually takes years for a team to be that good."

"That only proves it's better to be lucky than good, and to have a GM who'll bend the rules a little," I countered. "I can think of a few times we should have bought it, and it's obvious in hindsight he kept us going." I shrugged. "He was having fun, and that's the main point. When you start taking it too seriously, it's time to get out." Sophia looked at me, and I couldn't guess what she was thinking, but I suspected it had to do with how I behaved toward her and the other gals. Of course, I was speaking like I usually do, instead of Sprawl-speak.

Ms M nodded, and said, "All right." She turned to Raven, who quailled before her steady gaze. I guess All-Wings let her have it. "Are you going to talk freely, or do we have to _prompt_ you?"

"You might want to think that over, Raven," I added. "I'm still a nice guy in here, but that doesn't mean I won't stand back and let you get the treatment. I'm smart enough to know my limitations. Balking _one_ dragon isn't too smart." All-Wings gave me a look, and I said, "Hey, I don't go in for the wipeout as an opening move, and I let Daphne do the real interrogation on her former teammate. Doesn't always show, but I have standards, scan?"

I glanced around the table, and the others just sat there, watching and listening to the exchange. Zelda was recording, as usual. Probably for a court record, if it was needed. Ian and Hugo just looked back and forth as Ms M and I talked, while Rydia kept her hand on Raven's shoulder as she stood behind her chair. Danny just sat there, being creepy – he _still_ had the Gene Simmons make-up on – while Gillian watched with interest. She stood up when I finished and said, "If you're going to inflict pain to get her to talk, I'm leaving. I don't know about the rest of you, but _I_ have standards."

"So why did you hook up with Danny?" Hugo asked, crass as always.

"Because she isn't into beastiality like Rydia," Ian replied. Everyone looked at him like he'd brought a dead animal out onto the table. "Okay, my bad. Look, I agree with Gillian. We don't do that, and I don't think Joseph will sit by and let it happen, either."

Fox closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. "If I'd known more about the Davenport assassination, I'd have left then," he said.

"That's what being a pacifist will do for you," I said. "Bad trait for a shadowrunner. You found out the hard way it can't last. Nice Simon Phoenix imitation, by the way." He gave me the finger as he sat back. "Truth ain't pretty, dude. Face up to it, and you might get through this sane. This is a matter of survival. I was shot, and Daniel told me Super Joe's dead, and that belt of his was missing. I think we can guess what's going on here." I turned to Ms M and said, "You might want to let your other little boy know he's asking for a spanking, unless you all go completely hands-off after a certain point."

"He wouldn't listen, and you're right. Once we reach adulthood, dragons make their own destinies, and I wouldn't think of telling him what to do any more than I would you. Any of you," she replied. "The only reason Dunklezahn and Hestaby went further is what's coming as the mana levels rise. You have no idea what kind of fresh hell that will be, and you don't want to know. You'll drink yourselves to death, at best."

"Okay, I'll tell you what I know," Raven said. Going by my audio enhancer, it sounded like a mix of exasperation and a real desire to come clean. Maybe I lucked out there, too. "When Ares tried to get Keith I was brought in by Chang. I don't know who said I should be there – " Hestaby raised a hand " – Okay, now I do. Anyway, I was going to just keep an eye on Keith, but Ares found me and made a deal I couldn't turn down. After that, I stayed clear of Hestaby because she'd catch on, and I didn't stay long because I did have feelings for you, Keith, and I didn't want to take the chance they'd want me to go further. The Foundation's invitation took that decision out of my hands, and was I glad for that.

"After that, they had nothing else for me, and I was more or less free to go about my business. That stopped two months ago, when a Johnson I'd never heard of contacted me, and introduced me to what was left of your team. He told us what he wanted, and what he was prepared to do to get it done. To us. No payment; do it or he'd expose us." Raven took a deep breath and let it out shakily. "He said a very important client wanted Spiritkiller, and didn't care how he got it." She looked at me and said, "I'm sorry, Wolf."

"And that makes it all right," Sophia replied caustically. There was something more behind it than irritation.

"Can it, Sophia," I suggested.

"That's enough," Ms M said. "I believe you, Raven. Of course, I had you under a truth-sense aura, and we dragons can read surface thoughts. You're not off the hook, though, and I agree with Hestaby. You're going to have to earn your freedom, plain and simple."

"I didn't have a choice," Raven protested quietly. "I'd rather die than have to tell you why, Keith."

"I won't let that happen. You can tell me privately, if it helps." When Raven looked at me, I added, "That's part of the price, Raven. Shame won't kill you, unless your society demands it," I added, and Naomi flinched. "Sorry, _koishii_. Didn't mean it that way."

"I know. It's okay."

Fox leaned forward, putting his elbows on the table and asked, "So what's our involvement? I don't see what we have that someone would want that badly."

"How could you miss it?" Rydia asked. "Blackwolf's dagger is gone, and so is Super Joe's belt."

"And you have a pair of goggles I bet look into the Astral," I said. "Hugo's flashlight probably gives off dual-natured light. Then there's Ian's watch and Henry's compass. They all have the dragon's eye on them, and I remember what little Aria told us about that." I looked at Hestaby speculatively, and she nodded. "Hmm, keeping them out of circulation might help someone?" _+10 Karma_.

"Okay, I can see that. What bothers me is we don't know who it is. I don't buy Lofwyr or Ghostwalker," Ian said.

"What about the dragons that are supposed to be dead?" Danny said, finally speaking up. "Everyone thought Alamais was dead until the Will let everyone know he wasn't. What about Feuerswinge and Haesslich?"

"If they're alive, they're doing a good job hiding," Ms M replied. "They're dead. I'd know if they were alive; I'd feel it."

"That doesn't necessarily mean it's a dragon," Zelda said. "Was this guy your Johnson?" She brought up something on her 'link and showed it to Raven.

"No, it wasn't Brackhaus. He's too visible."

"I think I know how we can find out, but you'll have to trust us," Rydia said.

"Move your hand, and I'll think about it." Rydia took her hand away, and Raven continued, "Okay, I'll think about it. There's only one person in here I trust; I don't know the rest of you."

"Sorry, but it's all or nothing," I said. "If you trust me, then you have to trust everyone, because _I_ trust everyone here, even Kimba," I added, making Hugo fume. He was still coming to terms with Hamato Chang's revelations a few years back. Well, so was everyone. "I've had to rely on everyone here, even if it didn't look like it. I had to trust them to do their part, like they had to trust me. That's how Majestic is, and you'll have to accept that. Or we can just let you walk out of here and let your Johnson take care of you." I shrugged as I lit a cigarette. "It's not my call, Raven." Cold? Maybe. It's all true.

Ms M gave me a look, and I met her gaze again. It must be interesting for a dragon to have an employee – we were all 3M employees, with a _lot_ of leeway on our free time – who isn't intimdated by them. Of course, I'd dealt with Hestaby for years and she was in metahuman form, so that took off the edge. I think she found it refreshing, having someone who knew the truth and didn't cringe or suck up. Liking it was another matter, but I had the impression she did.

Ms M looked at Raven and said, "That's how it is, Raven. You have an opportunity, and I suggest you don't waste it. You don't get many second chances in the Sixth World." She nodded in my direction. "Keith can tell you about that."

Raven sat there, thinking, then took a deep breath and said, "Okay. I want out from under this guy's thumb."

Rydia took a seat next to her and brought out a few items. "This won't be pleasant, or easy. I want you to concentrate on remembering him and nothing else." She looked around the room – I suppose at our auras – and said, "You'd all better go. You might not like this."

I noted her tone and that she didn't look at me, and I said, "I draw the line at using blood magic, Rydia. If you do, I'll hand you over to the Foundation myself. You should remember what we did to Dr Santiago and his buds." _+10 Karma_. Just for sticking to my guns?

She nodded. "You don't have to worry about that. It's just you might not like what you see."

I looked at her for a long moment, but I could see she wasn't trying to hide anything. "All right." I looked at Raven. "This will go a fair way to getting free, Raven. Don't frag it up. I don't like what H implied earlier, and I don't like the idea of being anyone's master. Doesn't look good, scan?"

"What's wrong with a black guy owning a Native Elf?" Hugo asked. "The world kinda owes you that, right?"

I just sat there and looked at him for a few seconds, said, "Dude, if you only had a brain," then turned on my heel and walked out. As I left, team chat came on and Naomi asked, _Where are you going?_ via text. "Anywhere else," I sub-vocalized. "I don't need to be here, and I've got some mods on the bike I always wanted done before I got the forge. I'll be there. Have Zelda bring the recording over and explain it to me."

She nodded, then texted, _Are you okay? You didn't look like it_.

I opened the door and walked out into the gathering dark. The rain came down harder than ever. "I don't like the idea of slavery, and it's not just because of my history, _koishii_. It's just plain _wrong._ If a person has any value, it's too high to be someone else's property. Yeah, I know, this is the Sixth World. That doesn't change my mind, or make it right."

_I'll see you when I see you, then. Love and kisses_. The channel closed and I continued across. I'm not kidding about some things being wrong, and never changing. What Ares did to those Technomancers at "the farm" would _never_ be right. It's no different from anything else along those lines. People are not disposable. If that makes me an idealist, then fine. We're all idealists. We have morals, and we don't just do any job for the nuyen and ignore the fact there are people behind the scenes. Hell, we went after Santiago as a freebie, because he was going to use his son – and probably the boy's mother – for blood magic to save his sorry hoop from his Aztechnology bosses. When we found that out, there was no way we were gonna walk away from that. There are some things you just don't do. Period. _+ 15 Karma_. Oh, _please._

(((())))

I arrived as the lightning started, and got inside quickly. Damn, but the weather had gone crazy since 2000. Not just the Awakening, but the overall change due to warming. Storms were getting more and more violent as time passed, and climate didn't seem to matter any more. I never saw a tornado in the Seattle area until 2050, and that's just one effect. The San Andeas fault was going nuts, too. Barely ten years since the Deep Lacuna opened, too. I had the feeling Frosty was right in her commentary in the Almanac, but not the same way. The people who were born before the Awakening – me and FastJack, 'frinstance – know the difference, while the "kids" we deal with don't understand what the world was like as events unfolded. They barely remember Dunkelzahn, in some cases. And all that's a real shame, 'cause you can't figure out where you are if you don't know where you've been, never mind where you'll be down the road. The Awakening changed _all_ the rules.

As I stepped inside, I shrugged off my coat and walked into the vehicle shop area. I loaded the forge with feedstock, studied if for a few minutes, then chose what I wanted. After re-checking, I started it working. The biggest drawback to a motorcycle is not only a lack of cover, but armament. All you've got is what you're carrying, and that's sometimes not enough. Time to change that.

I stopped as I heard a noise that was out of place, and spun around, the Alpha leveled. "Who's there?" I said as all my cyberware went into active mode. After a few seconds, something stepped out of the shadows. It _looked_ like a wolf, but moved differently. I felt a prickling at the base of my neck, and that was enough. "One wrong move, and not even your strongest mojo will help."

It stopped and looked at me, then seemed to smile. After a moment, it re-shaped itself into – Takeda Nori stood in front of me. "You are looking well for a man recently deceased, Dawson_-san_," he said as he recovered. "Ishikawa-_sama_ was most concerned."

"I am honored for his concern and attention," I replied. "The report was erroneous, or that's the _official_ word," I said.

He looked at me, and nodded. "Does Naomi know?" I nodded. "And she is all right?"

"She says yes, but I doubt it. That's twice someone went after Keith, and very nearly succeeded. I'm still not sure if it's the same person, but it doesn't matter. They want him dead, and I'm here to stop it." I bowed formally and said, "Please tell Ishikawa_-sama_ I swear his daughter and grand-daughter will have no more problems, if it's within my power to prevent."

His eyes widened slightly, and he nodded. "I can see where the knowledge came from. Very well, I will tell him."

I "dropped out" of formal mode and asked, "Is he here? I think Naomi and Jessica would like to visit."

"He is, and unfortunately officially. It may not be possible, but if there is the slightest way for it to happen, he would like that very much," Takeda replied. "Even after your greatly beneficial work, his situation cannot change."

"Well, the old guard can't live forever," I commented. "They saw to that."

He smiled ever so slightly. "I will convey your message, and send his reply. _Banzai_, Dawson_-san_," he said, then vanished. I had to smile ironically at the word _Banzai_. _Long life_. It was entirely possible. Too many Immortals were proof of that.

I returned to the shop and began work. The truck was running a little rough, and I wanted to make sure it didn't crap out when I needed it the most. A few minutes of checking had me holding the fuel filter, and after a few seconds' thought I programmed the forge to make one. They were versatile as hell, and I could see why the Megas tried to suppress them. If you could make your own parts, who needed _them_?

After cleaning up, I made a light snack and sat down, checking the Matrix. A few of the 'Pointers were surprised I was still alive; Clockwork, of course, had nothing good to say. Damned idiot. Like the world owed him something. I had news for him, neither I nor the world owed him a fraggin' thing; we were here first.

Frosty asked the most questions, and I tried my best to answer them. Picador and Black Mamba tried to help figure out who was behind it, but I didn't have enough information, and I told them we were waiting for more to develop. Clockwork ran his mouth until Bull hit him with whatever he'd hit Slamm-O! with a while back. I said I owed him one for that, but he shrugged it off. Elijah gave a few ideas on why, but he needed more information, both on the artifacts and the Johnson to be more specific. Well, _duh_. I reminded myself of what Derbyshire had said a few months back when we met in Renton on a job: Always know more than the other guy. The man was right. Being on the wrong end of that could get you geeked, sometimes without warning. After Lone Star's Detective Takashima had been exposed as a Yak _and_ Tir flunky, what he'd told his bosses more or less proved that. Too bad he didn't live too long after that. He'd have been completely humiliated to learn he was partly why the Star got the boot, and Knight Errant got the job of policing Seattle.

After about forty minutes, I dropped off the Matrix and sat there thinking. I didn't know much more than when I started with Howling Coyote, and I was sure – somehow – he couldn't help. The Borderlands by whatever name were hard to get to, going by every legend I'd ever heard, and you needed a reason. Something like the Metaplanes or Deep Resonance, if I had it figured right. I hated not knowing, but I suspected it wouldn't help if I did. The person or persons who were after me and Majestic might be anyone, but I didn't think they were street types. Only the Corps had the resources, even the A-Rated ones. The problem there was there were so _many_ fraggin' Corps.

Well, not true. Some were strictly tech, no magic involved. I could ignore those. That cut it down, but not enough. I'd have to start with the ones we'd dealt with, and go from there. Rose Croix was out; we trashed them back in '70. DocWagon took their most serious hit when RC went down, so I was inclined to leave them out, too. Moving up, the Tir government was still in flux, and Hestaby was watching them, so they were out. The NAN barely knew about us, and probably didn't care. The same for Europe, Africa and Asia. The JIS would only care if they knew Naomi was still alive, and maybe not even then. UCAS outside Seattle and the CAS were probably just as in the dark as anyone, outside of maybe President Colloton, and I doubted even she knew. Dunkelzahn probably never mentioned half of what he did. As far as Aztlan and Amazonia were concerned, I didn't have a clue, but I didn't think so; we didn't have much to do with them, and didn't leave many behind who could talk. That left out governments.

As for the Corps, the only way Saeder-Krupp would know or care is if Lofwyr knew anything, but we never came onto his radar. The same for Evo, NeoNET, Aztechnology, Renraku, Shiawase and Mistuhama. Horizon would have blabbed immediately, considering it was an entertainment giant first and foremost.. Those were the only ones I could think of that would have remotely dealt with us.

Ares, though, had a lot of reason to hunt us down. My defection and not-quite death; Naomi's defection after we re-established contact; Shizuke's disappearance from "the farm", with our destroying the place six months later; the whole _Dark Cross_ affair and finally the mess we'd made in 'Frisco and San Jose in CalFree. It was adding up, and I had to wonder if Damien Knight hadn't gotten any information about Majestic's involvement. He was supposedly still ducking behind a wall of legal-eagles, but I couldn't see him just sitting back and taking the bad publicity, and not planning a little revenge. No way a former Air Force or NSA man would.

Oh, yeah, the word is pretty much that Damien Knight and David Gavilan are the same person. Lots of strings to follow, and he'd definitely have the expertise to pull off the Nanosecond Buyout after leading Echo Mirage. Dunkelzahn owning a holding company named Gavilan Holdings that _just happened_ to own a significant portion of Ares stock and that line in his will about the Buyout pretty much screamed it, if you want to go that far, and I do. It's just about to the point where you need a score-card to sort out the score-cards, but Ares came up the big "winner" in motives. As I said before, most if not all of Majestic had been fragged-over by Ares, some way or other. Nothing else made sense.

So, if it was still Ares, that didn't mean Knight had a hint of what was going on. He sure didn't seem to know anything about Spencer's agenda, and it wouldn't be the first time the boss had no idea what his underlings were up to. I'm sure Richard Villers watches everyone in NeoNET as closely as he can, just for that reason, and his own little games. If he could do it, someone else could, and I'm sure he paid a lot of attention to Spencer's games as the news came out, just like the rest of his fellow Corp owners. So, I had to go inside the organization, and the top candidate was Ares Seattle's Corporate Security division and its official and unofficial subsidaries.

Why not Lone Star? Chummer, they royally fragged themselves over. Once the Takishima mess blew over, someone exposed the Shadowriders, the Star's own shadowrunning/black ops team. All this on top of not being able to catch the Mayan Cutter and stop tempo – well, I don't need to go on. Governor Brackhaven didn't like what the Star was doing – and _not_ doing – in his Metroplex. I don't know if Knight Errant is any better, but then I don't have to worry about them, unless I'm on a run. Actually, I do, after the mess involving Roger Soaring Owl. Rumor was Damien had it in for him; something about spying for the PCC. I didn't believe that; Roger's reputation was solid. What a fraggin' mess. Maybe the old man was gettingmean. Or senile.

I typed out what I've just related on my 'link; unlike most people in 2074, I still like to have the words in front of me; it helps me think, because I don't have to remember all that. I'd type ideas for a few minutes, then look at what was there and cross out what didn't fit. A few minutes of that still left me with Ares as the likely party.

I had to stop there, because my information was very out of date. Everyone I knew was gone, either dead or they'd left. I didn't know Karen King, other than through public information, but she had a good reputation. The problem was, so did Joan Clark, her predecessor. There was more I needed, and I was sure I was missing something, but all I could do was save my work and move on to something else.

I checked the forge, but it had some time to go; the concealed weapon mount was going to be more intricate than I'd first thought. I surfed the Matrix for a while, but there wasn't anything there that I found interesting. I found myself wishing I had some of my books, even the less-than-erudite ones (you can look it up). I was bored. I can't just sit; I've never really been able to do that, unless I'm listening to music. I'd have to really search the archives for anything from the 20th century, and I was sure it wouldn't be cheap. Well, yeah, I've got more nuyen than I know what to do with, but why spend more than I have to?

I texted Naomi, asking whether they were done, and she replied, _Not yet. Raven's been remarkably forth-coming. Are you bored?_ How well she knows me. I said I was, and she replied, _Go out and do something. Just don't end up in lock-up._ A pause, then, _You haven't been to Flair since we went there, have you? Go out, see what's happening, listen to the buzz. You should be fine. Make contact with your people, Keith. Get out and live for a while, okay?_

I smiled. _Great idea. I'll do just that. You're the greatest, _koishii. She sent back a smiley, and the channel went blank. I walked over to the truck after retrieving my coat, and took only what I usually carried, except I substituted the Fichetti for the Preds. I still kept the taser and both knives with me. With my augmentations, that would be all I need, though I stashed the Alpha under the seat. I'll be relaxing and learning stuff, not fighting, but I'm not going to be complacent. I've done it before. A long time ago. Heh. A couple life-times ago.

I started the truck, opened the door and backed out. The filter wouldn't matter much; if I had to, I could replace the engine. I was hoping the rain would stop; I prefer the bikes. I shifted my 'link to use my fake ID as I drove into Seattle proper, and the truck's mods shifted accordingly as GridGuide took over. As the Pointers said more than once, you can use the system against itself, and you should if you wanted to stay out of sight, and trouble. I did, mostly because I didn't want to think of what the food in jail here was like. I already knew, and I had to suppress gagging.

The club district was fairly quiet; the rain kept most people in. _Flair_ was still fairly popular, but nothing like in 2070. Tastes changed about every six months, but some clubs survived for years, as long as they kept themselves just current enough to bring in the younger crowd, but kept what worked for oldsters like me. I parked in a covered lot, and disabled the truck by flipping a hidden switch, then locked it. The locks were pretty much proof against being picked, as they were keyed to my spurs. I'm surprised no one else stumbled over that, 'cause it was nearly fool-proof.

I strolled down the lane as the rain slackened, and reached the door sooner than I expected. People took one look and moved aside as I approached, and I didn't think it was because they knew who I was. Maybe my jander was kicking in; I was on the prowl, and they could see it. So I strolled to the VIP entrance, letting the bouncer/doorman see my real ID. He looked at me for a long while, then nodded. I remembered Lindberg from before; he looked good, which meant he could afford Leonization. I bet he was surprised to see me; I'm sure several people would. I tipped a hundred nuyen and walked inside.

The place hadn't changed much since '51, and I was a little disappointed, but it was still my place. I walked to my usual table and it cleared fast, just like the last time. It was as though they knew me, and I wondered about that. I didn't recognize anyone else, so maybe it was my attitude. Let's face it, I walked like I owned the place, and that matters.

As I sat down, three Hispanic Elves sauntered over. Two were the Martinez brothers, the last might have been one's daughter. They stood there, looking at me as though they couldn't be sure of what they were seeing as I keyed in my order. "What's the matter? You look like you're seeing a ghost," I said, waving to the empty chairs.

Rodrigo looked at his brother, then shrugged and sat down. The other two followed, and I looked at them. Alberto had gone to seed a little, while Rodrigo looked about the same. Their eyes still glittered as I remembered. I looked at the girl. "Someone gonna introduce me?"

She gave me a look, then said, "I'm Marcella, 'Berto's daughter. You're supposed to be dead twice over, Blackwolf."

"Yeah, well, someone keeps missing," I replied as my Soylent Red arrived. I recognized the waitress, and had to exercise some control. She was tall and thin, with long, snow-white hair down her back. Jane Foster. _What the hell's Frosty doing here, moonlighting?_ I wondered. _Or did Naomi call her? What the frag's going on?_

"What's up, _jefe_? Got something going?" 'Berto asked.

"Just getting out," I replied. "Retirement's boring."

"Buzz is life's gonna get interesting fast," Rodrigo said. "Someone wants you dead, and I heard they got your blade."

"That's true enough. I'm gonna get them first," I replied as I sipped my drink, keeping an eye on Frosty. The great thing about my eyes is you can't tell where I'm looking. They just look like two bluish-white marbles, which freaks some people out, and I kept that when I got the Alphaware. It's a lot of help. "Tired of bein' fragged with, scan?"

"Any idea who? Guessin' maybe some you know."

I snorted. "Half of Ares, prob'ly. Plenty of slots there want me to pay for something or other. Could even be real, instead of just 'cause I'm still breathing." That much was still true, even nearly twenty-five years later. Hell, Barrows, Grey Cloud and Gleason might have been just hired flunkies, but they knew and probably hated me, and for several reasons. I'd have to think of what they'd be; there's always more than you think.

"So, just checkin' out the Sprawl after all this time?" Marcella asked. I didn't like the way she was looking at me, like I was hers, or something. That doesn't work, _chica_.

"Yeah, that a problem?" If she wanted to play the game I was thinking, fine. I can play, too, and I'm better. "Last I knew, I was free and over twenty-one."

"What happened to 'white', _'mano_?" Rodrigo asked. I held waved a hand in front of my face, and he said, "Hey, nanopaste is easy to come use."

"Not my style," I said as Frosty caught my eye. A hologram that read _Cat-Scratch, 19:00 sharp. Be there on time _hovered near her. I looked her in the eye and barely nodded. I checked the time, and I had plenty. I wondered what was up. Most 'Pointers never meet in person, let alone do biz. I thought it might have to do with Spiritkiller; it made sense. I sipped my drink and said, "You _know_ my style, dudes."

'Berto looked to see what I was looking at, but only saw the dancers; Frosty was good, fading back out of the spotlights and vanishing. "What?" he asked.

"Biz," I replied. "I'm not really retired; _no one_ ever really is."

"Who was she?" Marcella demanded, her tone sharp. "That tall _chica_ with the white hair."

"You don't wanna know," I replied. I sat up and snarled, "And don't bring that act around me. I'm happily married, and I don't care what you hear that's different. It's drek, like you thinking you have a shot." Oh, I hit a nerve or ten, by the way she gasped, recoiled and then scowled. "Hey, _chica_, still a man's world, and I don't remember giving you a say in my life." I obviously looked her up and down. "You're not bad, but you're not all that." I looked at 'Berto and said, "She shouldn't be out of the house, _'mano_. That attitude's gonna get her cut up good by the first Gillette she mouths off to, never mind the next razorboy who thinks she isn't there to _talk_."

'Berto's face grew stormy as Marcella cussed me out softly but audibly in Spanish. No imagination. I tuned her out as Rodrigo said, "Didn't need to do that, _hombre_. Had it handled."

Marcella was still going on, and I looked at her and snapped, "Shut it! I don't know who you think you are, but I'm gonna give you a ration of drek if you keep this up." She stopped and pouted. "Ah, hell. Get outta my face. Any biz you got can wait until you get her a baby-sitter, 'cause I ain't doing any with her here. No runner or Johnson worth a cred would put up with that attitude." I checked my time display, and stood up, slamming my drink. "I'm outta here. You better think this over. Got biz to do." I was gone with a swirl as the curtains parted from my bow-wave.

As I stepped outside, the colder air slapped my face, cooling me off and calming me down enough to make me think. They'd gone out of their way to irritate me, and I had to wonder why. As I returned to the truck, I carefully studied my surroundings. Was something wrong? Were they being watched? Did someone know enough about my habits to plan something? Was it a set-up? Damn it, paranoia isn't my usual way to work. I'm careful enough to stay out of a set-up, unless it's off-the-cuff. That works in my favor, too, as I make just basic plans and improvise around them. It kept Majestic going, and worked, probably too well.

Then I had another thought: Was I set up by Frosty with Naomi's help? What happened? Did Raven talk? I couldn't forget that Aina met us at Cat-Scratch for the bequests, so was all this related? If so, was Nadja involved, and what was her angle? _+20 Karma_ Whoa, what did I stumble on? I got into the truck and drove manually; traffic was light enough to make it no problem, and I preferred being in control, especially when I was suspicious. My driving was good enough to get by, and still throw a few surprises at problem slots, but I had to get there, first. I settled down and kept my eyes moving, looking for trouble.

After a minute, I had to admit the Martinez crew was trying to pump me for info. Bringing Marcella was a nice touch; she'd irritated me enough to probably make me blurt something out. Only my usual reticence stopped that. I let the truck drive itself as I sent Naomi a text: _Check out 'Berto, Rodrigo and Marcella Martinez. They were there. Something's off. On my way to Cat-Scratch; Frosty set up a meet_. After a few seconds I sent, _Did you do that?_

I got a smiley back, and _She said she found something, but didn't want to say. I don't think she's too sure of Ms M, yet. Can't blame her. _I'm_ not_. I smiled. I couldn't blame Naomi; she was still coming to terms with me and Hestaby, even though she had nothing to worry about.

The truck stopped in an open space right out front that I was sure had been held for me. Parked ahead of me was a limousine that had Draco Foundation plates, while behind was a nice, understated Americar. Its lines told me it wasn't stock. The street was clear, but I saw a half-dozen security types; you can always tell by how they carry themselves. They're like the Secret Service. They can't blend in, and they're the obvious ones. I was sure the rest were inside.

I got out and locked the truck, and made my way to the front door. The bouncer scanned for weapons and nodded, then let me in. I suppose I wasn't a threat, but then I wasn't there to cause trouble. I was meeting a Johnson, even if I did know her name and affiliation. As I walked in, the agent I expected stopped me and held out a hand, which I only looked at. Our eyes locked, and he stepped back. We'd read and measured each other as the pros we really were, and that's what I suppose acounted for the smile on Nadja Daviar's face when I was escorted to the same meeting room from four years ago.

She sat at the end of the table, flanked by Frosty and Thorn. Lydia stood near the other door and smiled at me; Keith had found her after Runs-DMC had extracted her for Hestaby, but before the Tir had settled down. I walked past the Foundation crew and gave her a hug, which she returned, then took a seat one chair down from Jane. Nadja watched me as I moved, her eyes steady and unreadable. I knew I had to watch myself here, 'cause anyone who Voiced for a dragon would be someone very formidable. I had to think about that, as some people thought I was Hestaby's. I still didn't buy that.

"You're probably wondering why I called this meeting," Nadja opened. She didn't have time to pause, as I understood this part of the game.

"You either heard something about Spiritkiller, or you want more information," I said. "You probaly know more than I ever will. There wasn't any documentation with it, and I don't think there ever was," I added. "We had to discover the abilities on our own, until Galileo appeared and showed us."

Nadja looked surprised, and I wondered if Big D had left her out of something, or maybe it was something _he_ never knew about, which I couldn't believe. Of course, he probably did, considering his mention of Room 1835 in the SCIRE, and Aria's apparent involvement with the "Minutemen", which had me wondering if All-Wings wasn't really behind it all. I had to stop and think. And deal with the _Unspent Karma: 65_ blinking at me. Okay, _okay._

Ettiquette and Intimidation improved by 1 each for 8 total. I could easily push one skill group, so Close Combat rose to Rating 4. I was surprised to see I had enough to raise another, and Firearms improved as well. 17 left, so I evened-out Athletics for 16. That was it. I'd go for Edge later, 'cause I was expecting to need it. If the Karma was any indication, this was the lead-up, and the real fight was going to be awful. I didn't want to think about the implications for Majestic. Despite the way it looked, I liked them all. Even if Hugo was a teen-aged _putz._

Nadja watched me as I sat there, probably wondering what was going through my head. Wouldn't she be surprised if she knew. I looked at Thorn, but he was as stoic as anyone I'd ever met. What I knew about them came from _Street Legends_, while what I knew of Jane came from various fragments here and there. Of the three, I was inclined to trust Jane, mostly because she preferred to be in control of her situation. Nadja less so, because I wasn't sure if she wasn't still operating under another of Dunkelzahn's plans. Thorn – or Rory Michael Caolain, by his write-up – was either a well-trained attack dog or a loaded gun; he was at his best when someone else was calling the shots. For the time he was interested.

I think my new ratings were working, because Nadja looked at me as though she'd lost something she'd found only a moment ago; Thorn looked at me as though re-assessing me. Jane actually smiled, while Lydia said, "I told you so. You could have believed me or Jane, but you had to see for yourselves." It fell together right then. Nadja had been informed, and was skeptical, and it had to be Jane who told her, and that meant Naomi. I smiled. "Seems every woman I get involved with is a black widow of some kind or another," I said. _+15 Karma_. I didn't let that irritate me. "'Oh, what tangled webs we weave'. Or think we weave."

Daviar's smile faded to nothing, and she looked at me appraisingly. I think she was coming to grips with the idea she was facing someone she probably _couldn't_ mainpulate. I could walk away at any time, because she had nothing I really wanted. Not even Spiritkiller. _+10 Karma_. "All right, Blackwolf. I can see you figured a few things out. It's true, we don't know where Spiritkiller is, but that's not why you're here. I was hoping to get you to join our side, but I can see you won't go against Hestaby, which already puts you _somewhat_ on our side. There are things you won't do, period, and only one woman you'd do _anything_ for. So, in order to get your cooperation, I have to convince you I'm doing the right thing for the right reason, and never, _ever_ lie to you. You might not be able to get me, but you'll sure as hell try."

I was impressed, and the fact she didn't ask _"Is that right?"_ at the end brought my opinion of her higher. Even if his detractors were right about Big D, he had and was still doing a literal world of good. You just had to pick out the flecks of gold from the river gravel. I like to think I'm smarter than I look, and confirmation was a huge ego-boost. Thank Ghost I never let that go to my head.

"Cards on the table, Ms Daviar," I said as Lydia set a Glow City beside me. "Oh, thanks, Lydia." I reached for my 'link, and she said, "I'm still in debt, Keith, and I meant free drinks for life." I think that got Nadja's attention more than the rest. She sat there, thinking, and I wasn't sure she was even paying attention to the room. She was rumored to have serious Adept mental abilities, and it made sense. Of course, I knew more about her than she did about me. She was probably re-adjusting her mental _go_ board.

"What did I miss?" Jane asked.

"Oh, just Keith getting me out of a jam after Hestaby's pet runner team got me away from the goo-suits." Lydia shivered. "I'm so glad they're gone."

Jane looked at me for a long moment. "We still need to have that talk," she said, reminding me of what I'd promised back in '70.

"We'll still need a chaperone. I hope Hestaby's up for the challenge," I replied, and we had a good chuckle.

"Careful, lad," Thorn said with a smile. "A lass can get you into all sorts of trouble."

"Too late, junior. My fate was sealed by June of '51."

Rory didn't seem to like being reminded that I was the oldest thing in the room. "How old _are_ you?"

"June twenty-second, ninety-seven. The Summer solstice is always an auspicious time, don't you think?" Caolain frowned thoughtfully, then nodded. "Like I said in chat on JackPoint, I've seen it all. It doesn't matter, because I'm just as capable of spouting nonsense as anyone."

"You're not the only one," Jane said quietly. She was probably referring to Harlequinn, her mentor and her father's rival. I wondered if she was still in the dark about that, and dismissed it. None of my business, and they'd work it out themselves. Harlech tended to be cryptic, and never really gave a straight answer. I had the feeling if he ever did, something really fraggin' important was coming down. Still not really my problem.

Nadja came out of her reverie, and said, "Well, I suppose you'll have to use your own network to learn who and why, as far as the artifacts go. I need to know who has what, so we can prepare for the possibility of them being – " I didn't like the thought I'd just had. I stood up, and she cut off, watching me closely as I leaned on the table. My eyes felt as hard as the gaze I was giving her, and Thorn sat up, ready for a fight, it looked like. I found myself wishing I had a way to compare how we stacked-up against each other, and his vital stats popped up in my vision. We were close to being even. He had the advantage as an Adept, but since I never gave in and always went for the throat...

"If you have _anything_ to do with what's happened in the past couple of weeks, you'd better be ready for this Lone Wolf to come a-hunting, Nadja. I don't like the implications of what you said, and if you think I'm gonna roll on Majestic, Dunkelzahn made some really bad choices. I'm sure Hestaby would agree," I growled softly. "And All-Wings isn't as dead as the other Greats might think, unlike Feuerswinge and Kaltenstein. She might have something to say about the whole mess."

Jane looked at me warningly, and I continued, "Nobody in this fraggin' sprawl's got what it takes to get me to say what I won't, Frosty. There's no way, and I'd be willing to bet on myself in a game of who gets the needle. She didn't bring enough." I kept watching the Foundation pair as I spoke. Daviar's eyes studied me, and I maintained my dead-eyed stare as I straightened. Thorn remained alert, but relaxed. Nobody had ever said he was stupid.

Nadja looked down, but not in surrender. I noticed the calcuating glint in her eyes as she said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

"Drek. I didn't work 38 years for Ares without picking up a few tricks. If you're not going to come clean, we're done here. You might have thought I can be bought, but that's not true. I'm already in Hestaby's and Dunkelzahn's camp, but that doesn't mean I'm on your side, Ms Daviar. For all you say, you're still a fraggin' A-Rated corp in some people's eyes, and you have to undo what the Board did in your absence before I'll ever take you seriously. Like I told Majestic, I only know you by rep." I decided to twist the knife a little. "Maybe Aina wasn't doing the job as well as she could have, but I'd trust her before I did you. She was okay in person; you come off as a Corp bean-counter. For all I know, one of those fraggin' slots gave the order for me to go away."

No reaction. I couldn't see her eyes, and so I went with my gut. I can think of only a few times that had blown up in my face. "Okay, that's how you want to play it. You got all you're gonna get from me. You want more, talk to Hestaby. I got more important things to do than hold your hand, and 3M comes first. Like anyone else, you can get in line." I stepped back from the table and finished my drink. "Anything else?" No answer. Well, that doesn't work on me. I turned and walked to the door and I stopped with my hand on the knob. "You might want to change your clientele to something better, Lydia. This bunch is bringing Cat-Scratch down."

"Stop right there," Thorn said. "You haven't been dismissed, boy."

I turned and looked at him, deliberately shifting my eyes over to resemble a wolf's. "Well, so much for a _warrior_," I sneered. "Like I've said before, any idiot can talk. Doesn't matter where they hail from, a twit's a twit." I could tell he wanted to come after me. "What's stopping you? She got tight hold on your leash?"

Caolain blinked and smiled. "Nice try. Ye shouldn't have added that last bit."

"Just so you know she's not the only one who can play the game. Difference is, my way someone bleeds out in a back-alley as I walk away." Nadja was watching me again, her eyes narrowed. "That's right, Nadja. We don't live in the same part of this world. You do the planning while Rory and I do the gritty work. Don't ever forget he and I are used to fighting to stay alive, instead of making a call and toppling a speed-bump of a Corp that way. You've still got a lot to learn about the Shadows." I nodded to Jane and Lydia. "Later. Got a job to do," I said as I walked out.

I'd have loved to be a fly on that meeting-room wall, but I was sure Daviar was as security conscious as Henry. It didn't matter. We'd taken each other's measure, and I'd had my say, and gave the Foundation something to divert them for a while. Mentioning All-Wings only gave a little confirmation to the buzz, nothing more. I was sure they night try to trace me, but I'm probably better at evading. Either way, it wasn't worth her while. I was sure she'd be re-playing the conversation the rest of the night, to get every scrap of info out of it. I didn't expect any less, and I think she knew that. All in all, nobody seemed to really learn anything really important. Just another Shadow introduction. I could live with that.

(((())))

The rain was over by the time I walked back to my truck, and I didn't bother to check it. Daviar's security was more subtle than that, and I wouldn't be surprised to know they knew where I lived. The Foundation has the resources, and if Nadja thought it was necessary, she'd use them. I also knew if she wanted me dead, I'd have never made it back outside. No, they were trying to set the hook for something, but I'd refused the bait. The only problem with that was it might have been the whole idea. Never make a deal with a Corp or the Draco Foundation. Dragons? Too late, chummer.

I drove off, checking my rear. I expected a tail, but not from the Foundation. I was thinking of Ares, or some other Corp. I hadn't exactly been trying to hide, and I think I wanted a confrontation, even as I was running. I don't know. Sometimes you just stop caring after a while.

Lights followed for a few minutes, then turned off. It wasn't light enough to tell if the vehicles were working together, and the lights kept me from seeing clearly. I turned off the main drag, killing GridGuide and I moved as fast as I could while silently cussing-out idiots who couldn't manage without the system. I was glad to get outside Downtown, and I turned onto the road east. That's when I saw the Roadmaster pull in behind me. I looked back and thought, _Oh, it's Operation Bump-and-Grind, eh? Good thing I know that one_.

"Bump-and-Grind" is a brute-force method for bringing someone in. A Roadmaster would rear-end you hard, then as you were fighting for control they'd push you against the guard rail or a building to stop you. There were a few variations to it, but I knew them. Ares might innovate, but the field troops stuck with what worked. As soon as I saw the truck pick up speed, I floored it, then made a hard left. The block I expected was there, but they weren't set, and I blasted through, using the sidewalk. The Roadmaster continued on, unable to follow, and making for the next intersection, but I was gaining, then switched-back a block short of the next trap. I let the "bump" vehicle pass, then dropped in behind it and switched off the lights. Visibility was bad to their rear, and they wouldn't see me.

As they prepared to block the next cross-street, I grabbed the Alpha and braced it on the door. The truck screeched to a stop, and I blew the front right wheel right off with the HE, then popped a thermal smoke behind me. The next block should be … there it was. Two Americar Cruisers, parked front-to-front across the road. Nice try, guys. Another HE blasted the vehicles aside, and I held on as my pick-up bounced over the debris and the hole in the road. I knew I was free of the ground force, but I knew there was a drone overhead, following. Time to call for help.

I thumbed my 'link active and said, "Sophia." Her face appeared in AR. "I've got a tail. Ares. Can you or Henry do something about it?"

She nodded. "Okay, I'll keep their attention. Later." I didn't ask. I didn't need to know, and I'd probably spot it.

Ah, yeah, the over-pass. I floored it and raced beneath the highway, then stopped hard. The drone I knew was there continued on, apparently chasing a spoofed image. I reversed and took the ramp, then the next interchange for the highway east again. I looked around again, and saw nothing. They were either still reacting to the spoof, or I was tagged. I'd take care of that. I drove manually and switched on the tag eraser. Nothing else to do until I got back and could go over the whole truck carefully. I didn't want to trash it; I'd done a little too much work for that. I'd just change the body lines a little and re-paint, and that would do it.

When the electronics were safe, I checked the weather forecast. Clear for the next week. Good. I preferred the bikes, anyway. I drove back-alleys for a while, then into the house and grabbed the portable scanner/eraser and painstakingly swept the pick-up. Four tags went bye-bye. After that, I put the Alpha away and sat down on the couch in the open area, thinking carefully.

Ares had either been alerted, or they'd picked me up at random, and I couldn't guess which was more likely. Something everyone knew but wouldn't talk about was Ares and K.E. had the habit of picking a random vehicle for that treatment. Innocents would get an apology and free repairs while anyone else got dragged in and questioned while their vehicle was taken apart and carefully examined. This wouldn't win Ares any awards, but no one complained after getting the situation explained to them by a guy in a dark suit, snap-brimhat and mirror-shades. Most caved, not wanting to find out what "the next step" would be. Welcome to UCAS in the Sixth World, where the people are sheep and easily frightened, and would hand in Grandma if it would keep the "suits" away from them. The rest of us (runners) are wolves. We have to be.

Was it even Ares, or was this another of Nadja's tests? I had the impression tonight's meet was just that: A test. The Squad didn't try that hard, now that I could think about it awhile. That meant either amateurs or smart, and I went with smart. That left out Ares and K.E. rank-and-file. They never got involved with this. I was expecting word to come from Nadja after a few days about the real biz, if that was right. The Big Leagues were knocking, or so it appeared. _+15 Karma_. Oh, come _on_.

I shook my head. This is one reason why I don't like Conspiracy-themes. You get paranoid and morbid really fast, and after a while you'll shoot at anything that moves. Not good. Not good at all. I checked the time. Coming up on midnight. Hmm, that meant set-up, but not Ares or Knight Errant. Nice, Nadja. Guess I'll learn to deal.

I got up and killed the lights, then walked quietly into the living area, which was essentially a small one-bedroom apartment inside the original store. It wasn't luxurious, but it was cozy, and had the basic amenities. Actually, less then the basics. The lights were controlled by real wall switches, and if you wanted to know what was in the 'fridge, you had to open it and look. Basically, what people in the late 20th century did. You _can_ have too much convenience, and get lazy in the process. That's how you keep the sheeple happy.

I ghosted my way into the bedroom and undressed, then slid under the covers next to the warm body that appeared in my thermographic vision. I sighed as I relaxed, then stretched and took a deep breath. I froze, but not because of any danger. The image my olfactory booster caused to appear in my vision wasn't Naomi, it was Sophia. _What the hell?_ I thought as I sat up abruptly and slid to the edge of the bed. She wasn't asleep, and her expression as she rolled over to face me was an interesting mix of amusement and disapointment, with a touch of betrayal. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Now, or all together?"

Her expression changed to exasperation, and her ears moved to emphasize it. "You know what I mean. What's the matter?"

"Sophia..." I began.

"Oh." She sat up and covered herself with the blanket. "Look, you have to know more or less how I feel about you, Keith. Do you remember when we met, and later?"

How could I forget? She was shackled to a wall inside a locked closet, in the basement of a swanky mansion owned by a really screwed-up closet fur, who also sold slaves. "I remember." I think I managed to keep my voice even.

"Then you'll remember I leaned your way when you and the guys talked over where I was going to go." I nodded. "If you'd made the first move, I'd have been in your bed that night, probably. You don't know what it's like, being caught in and then pulled out of that mess. You were my knight in shining armor. I was a little hurt when you didn't do anything, but I knew from then on I could count on you. I knew you wouldn't do anything to hurt me, either." She sighed quietly. "I really missed you while I was on Mars. I didn't know just how much I would, either. Look, what I'm trying to say is I finally figured out I love you."

That floored me. I never really suspected, other than when I pulled her out of "the box". After dealing with Super Joe, Hugo, Fox and Danny, I thought she'd pulled back and stayed to herself on GP's. If she had any feelings, she never showed it, but then I stayed clear, too. The rest of Majestic got a little too much after a while, and I was still in love with Naomi. It was a hell of a lot to parse.

"I'm sorry, Sophia," I said. "After a while, it wasn't a priority. I was still hoping Naomi and I could get back together, and you could probably see I was still in love with her." She nodded. "Besides, you were and still are a sweet kid; I'm the tough old Lone Wolf, and Daphne wasn't far off calling me that. You didn't need any of that. I didn't want to chase you away, either, if you thought I was just hitting on you like the other guys were. I only _look_ young."

She reached out and took my hand. "I know all that, and I know you're a good man, Keith. That's one reason why I fell for you. You tried to take care of us gals, but you didn't over-do it. You're nothing like the other guys, and that was something special." She reached out and touched my face as she smiled impishly. "And this wasn't just my idea. Naomi's staying with Jessica. She pointedly texted me to come over and have fun, once I convinced you." She went back to demure and quiet. "I'm not asking for anything you won't give. I just wanted to tell you the best way I know how."

I was still kinda freaked, but Naomi had never told me the usual drek most wives do. She never needed to. I guess she's more special than I ever thought she was. "This is gonna take some getting used to," I finally said.

Sophia reached out, grabbed one ear and dragged me with her as she laid down, smiling. "Then let me show you. I really want to know what I missed, and I've thought about this for a few years. I'm where I want to be."

I took her in my arms, and she sighed as I stroked her like a cat. "Okay, just don't rush me. This is the last thing I expected."

No, sorry, you're still going to have to use your imagination.

(((())))

I jolted awake, shaking, sweating and I think whimpering. I can't be too sure. I finally remembered what happened back in '57, and it came back with a vengeance, in my nightmares. God, what a fraggin' mess I'd made. I should have kept my mouth shut and disappeared.

I felt Sophia's hands on my shoulders, and I managed not to flinch as she leaned against my back and whispered in my ear, "What is it?"

"I remember what happened," I said quietly. "The day I got blown up. All of it. God, was I an idiot."

"Can you tell me?"

"N-no, I can't, and I don't want to. It's … it's _bad_, Sophia." I shivered.

She cuddled me and I didn't resist. I was too out of it, and I didn't want to. I _needed_ comforting. "Blackwolf, do you trust me?"

I didn't need to think about it. "You know I do."

Sophia was the only one who could access my cyberwear. She'd straightened out a maladjustment not long after we'd installed her at the Redmond HQ, and I didn't make anything of it. When I couldn't hear or see, I knew she'd cut out my eyes and ears. _"It's okay,"_ her voice seemed to speak in my head.

I just stayed where I was, and soon I could see interesting blooms of color: Reds, greens, blues and yellows at what I thought were random intervals, but after a while I noticed a pattern. After a moment I could hear something between waves crashing and static that was timed with the colors, and there were fast, crackling traces between them. It was soothing. "What is that?" I asked. I couldn't hear, but I could feel my voice.

_"It's the Matrix. You're not there; it's what I see and hear."_

"You see this all the time?"

_"Yeah. I go to sleep with it."_

"It's great."

_"Relax. Just let go and drift, Keith. You'll be fine."_ I don't remember drifting off, just the lights and sound. Peace. It was a wonderful feeling.

(((())))

This time, I woke slowly. I think it was daylight, and my time display read 0743. I could hear the usual sounds of the area, and opened my eyes. I could see just fine. I looked around and found Sophia curled up against my back, purring in her sleep. I smiled and gently stroked her hair. She murmured, stirred and stretched, then rolled over to smile at me. "Feeling better?"

"Much," I replied. I kissed her forehead and smiled. "Thanks. I don't think I've slept that well in some time."

"Good. You were really wound up. And I know just what will take care of that. A nice, hot shower." She stood up and padded naked to the bathroom. She stopped at the door and looked at me over her shoulder, her green eyes sparkling with mischief. "Do you need an invitation?"

I grinned and replied, "No, but it's nice to know there is one. I guy likes to be sure." I followed. No, it's stilll not happening.

A/N: Okay, I think everything's set up. Time to get a little mean. All the events I've referred to are either from gaming sessions or published works. Have fun sorting them out. ;)


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sometimes you wish you could have done something when you'd missed the chance. Not quite that. And time for a major dose of reality. **MINOR** **LANGUAGE WARNING**. **GRAPHIC VIOLENCE** near the end.

Chapter 3 - _"I _hate_ California!"_ – _California Cooler_ advertisement

After we got cleaned up, Sophia and I had breakfast before heading over to 3M headquarters. I was sure everyone was wondering how my meeting with Nadja had gone.

(((())))

It took a little while for Sophia to get dressed. She spotted Naomi's only nod to pop culture, a _complete_ collection of _My Little Pony_ figurines and plushies that took up half the wall. She stood there in awe, I think, then carefully took Rainbow Dash from the shelf. "I haven't seen any of these except in files," she said. "Where'd they come from?"

I grimaced, and replied, "Believe it or not, Daphne actually had a will, and left those to Naomi. Kinda figures, if you think about it. The tough guys are helpless romantics, while the touch chicks have a soft spot you could sink into. Sure surprised me. I wonder if Joseph knew."

"He might have," Sophia said after replacing the plush. "She was the crazy chick around us, but probably completely different just one-on-one." She made a face. "I can't believe I just said that."

I couldn't help chuckling. "She'd laugh. Come on, hurry up. I think someone's waiting for us."

(((())))

All-Wings and Hestaby were waiting in the lobby when we arrived, which was unusual. First, it was a little after nine o'clock, and _nobody_ ever got there close to on time that I could remember. When she was Ms M, our boss played the "office critter" perfectly. I guess now she could bend a little. Hestaby was her usual self. As I stopped for coffee, Ms M asked, "So how'd your night go?" I couldn't help smiling. I think Sophia did, too, 'cause she looked at us and shook her head. "Okay, how'd the _meeting_ go?"

I chuckled. "Gimme a minute, and I'll let you have the recording, but I think Ms Daviar was trying to recruit me for the Foundation, even though she probably knew it was a waste of time. I don't think she's going to give up, though."

"Did you tell her about me?"

"Nothing more than mention your name. She's probably talking to Ghostwalker about that. I'd love to hear that conversation."

Hestaby actually snickered. "I'll bet it's a good one." She sobered and said, "We had everyone checking on Spiritkiller, and we found something a little disturbing. Have you ever heard of Cormac Mac Art?"

I looked at her, then said, "Yeah, but that's the name of a character in a book I read about thirty years ago. Personal reckoning, not here," I amplified when she gave me a questioning look.

"Where are you from?" All-Wings asked. "What year?"

"About the end of February, twenty-twelve." They started, and I nodded. "Yeah, I know. Just under ten months before the Awakening's supposed to happen. I won't know if this is only a fantasy until then, but I think my world's doomed to stay mundane."

"Doomed? You can't be serious," H said. "You know what this world's like. Yours has to be better."

"I wouldn't bet on that," Sophia countered as she sipped her coffee. "The Middle East is still a bad place, right?" I nodded. "Everyone was in End Times mode about that time." I nodded again. "No, probably not any better."

"No, it wasn't. The world's just coming out of another serious recession after the California housing market bubble burst. It dragged _everything_ down for nearly five years, and the mess still hasn't been cleaned up. It's gotten so bad I've all but refused to admit I was born there, unless I have no choice. I used to be proud of the place, but now I _hate_ California.

"Oil prices are flip-flopping worse than Brackhaven on the Ork Underground, and the Middle East is still a fraggin' powder keg." I sipped my coffee – yes, _coffee_; I still hate that SoyKaf drek – as I thought. "Congress and the President are fighting each other like rabid dogs, and it's harder and harder to make ends meet for most folks, and that's the ones lucky enough to have jobs." I shook my head. "We keep taking down despots, but more pop up, agitating for whatever. Destroy Israel, humble the United States, spread Islam by fire and the sword, _blah-blah-blah_, _yadda-yadda-yadda_, _bullshit-bullshit-bullshit_. Same damn nonsense from the same damn places.

"It's no better at home. People are having a hell of a time keeping afloat, never mind get anywhere. I've got friends who've had the rug jerked out from under them more than once, and they never seem to catch a break. I'm keeping my head above water, but it's day-to-day, paycheck-to-paycheck. The government's fighting itself, Congress versus the White House, over the _stupidest_ things, and they won't pay attention to what's important. Goddamned dick-waving idiots. Plenty of people would rather they do their jobs, but _noooooo_.

"Europe's not doing any better. Greece is about ready to collapse financially, and that could bring everything down again. Japan had an earthquake and tsunami that _clobbered_ Fukushima and caused a nuclear near-meltdown, and that's the latest environmental disaster. Russia's still dicking around rather than take a stand, trying to get all they can before something has to be done, and there are a lot of people world-wide who want to see Iran – and probably Iraq, just for the hell of it – glassed-over because they're threatening everyone with a nuclear weapons program that might or might not be something to worry about. Israel's the number-one favorite for a preemptive strike." I paused, took a breath and sipped my coffee. "So, who's got it worse?"

I watched their faces, and the dragons stood there, mouths hanging open. "But it's still got to be better," Hestaby said weakly.

"No, I've got the feeling the world's nations are on the brink of collapse and anarchy, and the U.N. is still dead-locked because Russia doesn't want to upset the good thing it has going. You could almost say nobody's in fraggin' charge, because it sure as hell looks that way."

"Doom-and-gloom is something anyone can predict," All-Wings replied. "What good can that do?"

"Did I say I was doing it to make things better? I'm only telling you what I've got to go back to. Things are better and worse here, but I can't say I'd pick one world over the other. Truth be told, they _both_ suck," I half-snarled.

"_Whew!_ Maybe we should put this off," Hestaby said.

"No, you need to know what was discussed, and who was there. You might find it interesting," I said as I led the way to the conference room. "Oh, yeah, what about Cormac Mac Art? That's a guy in a fantasy story."

"No, he's real. It might not be his real name, but it's the one he's using," All-Wings said.

I looked at her, and a nasty thought came to mind. "He didn't live in Cross Plains, Texas and go under the name of Robert E. Howard, did he?"

She looked surprised, then thoughtful. "I get it. He might have. Back then it was easy to change identities, wasn't it?" I nodded. "Maybe. The Crash of '29 and 2.0 did a lot of people a favor by erasing them, but I'm sure it's not just that. Some records were lost before then." She sat with a thoughtful expression. "Something we'll have to look into," she added as Henry, Naomi and Jessica joined us. "So, what did Nadja have to say?"

I downloaded the file into my 'link and passed it on as Naomi kissed me and sat beside Sophia. They exchanged knowing smiles, which I ignored while the others played the file. When it was done, Henry said, "You really laid it on heavy, Blackwolf. She could cause you a lot of trouble."

"I have two dragons to deal with, and I have to be scared of an Elf? Come on. Everyone knows what Big D did to the guy that shot Timmons. I'm pretty sure Nadja doesn't have that kind of firepower available, even if she can make Villiers _and_ Knight look like morons without trying. She knows I won't act against Hestaby; she said that kinda puts us on the same side, but I wanna know what she means before I commit to anything. Then there's Thorn. Nadja's no shrinking violet, and if he's there, she needs him for something she believes needs to be done." I paused. "Okay, it's time for the gamer to talk. I know a lot about her from the _Street Legends_ write-up, and surrounding info from other sources. She thinks it's time for a shift in Foundation policy, mostly because some Board members are willing to shoot first, think later, and think nothing of it. Going for the wipe-out first is a sign you don't know what you're doing. Nadja knows what she's doing, and she's minimizing the bloodshed as she re-adjusts the Foundation's priorities. That, and I personally think she's still in contact with Dunkelzahn, somehow. I can't see anyone letting that good a character go if they didn't really have to. A decent writer can work out a plausible plot-twist for just about everything. Well, except for Bobby Ewing's death being a dream. That was a _stupid_ idea." Naomi giggled. I suppose she'd been watching the classic vid channels. Like it mattered.

Hestaby and All-Wings looked at me as though I was crazy. Maybe I was. Living in America after a certain point would have driven people from earlier insane, mostly from living under the threat of nuclear annihilation if someone woke up in a bad mood, like in _Dr Strangelove_. It couldn't happen (nobody was _that_ crazy), but the worry was there since the Fifties. I don't know, maybe the "normal" (meta)human condition was and is an endemic mild insanity. It made as much sense as anything else. Plus, they probably still didn't really believe I was who I said I was.

"I still can't believe that," Henry said, more or less confirming my suspicion. "If you're Blackwolf's player, where's the body?" Naomi flinched, and I couldn't blame her.

"Buried where you won't find it, and we have other things to think about." I didn't want to think about it. Was Naomi going to have to go through life without Keith? I didn't want that. It wasn't fair. _Yeah, right, like life is fair_, my cynical side reminded me. Howling Coyote better have a way to fix this. That's my price for the favor I was doing him, whatever that was.

Rydia walked in as Henry was speaking, and she just looked at me with no expression when I finished. She probably heard something in my voice. She sat on Sophia's other side and said, "I checked on what you asked, and I found Mac Art's location. How'd you know?" She looked at All-Wings.

"I've dealt with him before, and let's leave it there," she replied. "What I know is he's trying to rebuild his power base, and it appears he thinks the items you inherited from Dunkelzahn are key to that. Spiritkiller's a serious weapon, and that belt improves your Body attribute, if I understand what you're saying, Todd." It was strange hearing her use my name, but I let it go. I nodded. That was true. "I can't see how the other items would help, unless he has designs on the Astral. He's not a mage, but he's a serious Adept, probably the strongest out there. He's had a long time to perfect his abilities, and I'd be inclined to say he'd wipe the floor with the Tir Ghosts."

"You say you've dealt with him before," Naomi said. "That's not enough."

Ms M sighed. "Okay, in Barsaive he was a real pain in the tail. He was a Theran warlord, and not the nicest Elf in the world. He was rumored to be as blood-thirsty as Kyle Morgan was. I've talked to Perianwyr, and he agrees."

"That's gonna start some dragons talking," I said. "He's in Denver."

"I know. It had to come out, sooner or later. Now's as good a time as any," All-Wings replied. "I'm trying to keep things calm, because we have other problems coming as the mana level rises. Some of you will live to see that, and you need to be prepared. We don't need Cormac and his kind stirring up trouble. The things coming will exploit that." Rydia flinched, and I wondered what else she'd found.

"Okay, I guess that will have to do," Henry said. "Anyway, he's been leaving messages about certain artifacts, and Spiritkiller was on the list. Raven's information was a lot of help."

"Where is she?" I asked. "I'm not exactly thrilled with what she's done, but I don't want her to catch it for something she couldn't help."

"With Zelda. They're still checking on a few things," Hestaby said. "Cormac showed up on the rumor circuit about three days ago." I thought about that. It made sense, and would explain what happened in Puyallup – was it only yesterday? It seemed longer. I should have remembered runs can seem like that, even if it's only a day, or even an hour.

"If it's him, he's got some serious mojo on his side. He sent something after us when Sophia, Rydia and I checked the Puyallup area." I stopped and thought. "So, Lofwyr and Ghostwalker were red herrings. He must really have it in for dragons." I looked at All-Wings. "Why do you use an Elf metahuman form?" I asked. "You're mortal enemies, at least according to what Ehran wrote about the Fourth World, as well as the current nonsense."

"Would you expect it?" she asked, her eyes glimmering with amusement. I noticed – finally – they were purplish, and her pupils were slightly oval; I guess she couldn't suppress every sign she was a dragon. Lofwyr never really tried, as everyone knew.

"I'll bet anyone assensing you would have heart failure," Sophia commented. Rydia nodded to herself.

"It helps. Brackhausen does it a lot. It muddies the waters."

I finally sat down and began thinking. I knew Spiritkiller was a good weapon. I'd used it a lot since 2070. I wondered if the rise in mana would affect it, like the rest of the world. Some effects got stronger as time passed; all you had to do was look at the world to see it. Halley's Comet had given everyone a taste of what was coming, and that was in general. Spike zones would probably be freakier, if that applied. Deadlier, more likely. _+10 Karma_. Okay, I'll stop complaining. Yeah, who am I kidding?

I looked up to see both dragons watching me, and they nodded. _Hey, stop eavesdropping_, I thought.

_Can't help it. Sometimes it's like you're shouting in there_, All-Wings replied. Interesting. Even mentally their voices were different. _I'm surprised you didn't notice anything in the last few years. Spiritkiller's gotten more powerful, even if it's not that obvious. That's why Cormac wants it_.

I looked at her. _What aren't you telling me? I can sense you're holding something back_. Don't ask me how. Maybe it was the heightened perception, and working for and with dragons may have helped.

_I can't tell you yet. I'm not sure, myself. Please be patient_. I nodded. Like I could force either one of them to do anything.

I went back to thinking. I didn't think Nadja knew, or she did but wasn't saying. I had to wonder who Cormac would go after first, but it made sense he'd start small and work his way up as he figured things out. Not that hard to figure. Go after single persons he thought might get in his way, then probably start on any free-lance teams, then the professionals, including Assets, Inc. After that, younger dragons. Past that point would be tricky, but I'd bet real money he'd save Lofwyr for last. The biggest threat on the planet; personally, and he had Saeder-Krupp behind him. Who knew what chaos that would cause, and what would he do to get his way? If All-Wings was under-stating the situation as I suspected, he'd probably go for the kill out the gate, and that might include magic that could cause more trouble later on. Did she think he'd let the Horrors in, accidentally or deliberately? Could be, if he was the egotist she implied. _+15 Karma_. Sigh.

And he started with me and Super Joe. Fraggin' wonderful. Probably because he had what he needed to get what he was after. And just _what_ was he after? World domination? That's as fraggin' cliché as the old movie villains who smiled and twisted their big, black mustaches as they tied the girl to the railroad tracks, or the maniacal guy who did what he did for the sheer ugly thrill. I can't stand those guys, either as "entertainment" or on runs. I'd tasered one just as he started his monologue, for cryin' out loud. Another cliché. I gotta stop doing that.

My 'link signaled, and it wasn't anyone I recognized. I keyed it on, and Nadja's image filled the AR window. "Morning, Nadja," I said neutrally. Everyone stopped and watched; Sophia and Henry jumped into VR. "What can I do for you?"

_"Shift to private mode, for one,"_ she replied.

"Nope. If you can't say it in front of Hestaby, you can't say it at all. Nice talkin' to you."

I waited a few beats, and she said, _"All right. What have you heard about an Elf named – "_

"Cormac Mac Art? Quite a bit, from a source I trust. I'm guessing his messages got your attention." She nodded. "Okay. If you want more information, you know where I do biz." I checked my time display. "Ten o'clock. I'm sure you can clear your calendar." I waited until she nodded grudgingly, then closed the channel. "Well, this should be interesting. Either I'm getting better, or she's getting desperate."

"The latter," Hetaby said. "You have a long way to go."

"Is inviting her here smart?" Henry inquired.

"I'm not going onto her turf again. It's her turn," I replied. "And I don't believe for a second she doesn't know. Majestic's got a reputation, and she had to hear about it if she was gonna make a pitch." Ms M nodded.

"What should we do?" Rydia asked. "I don't really want her to know about me."

"You're assuming she's ignorant about us." Naomi looked around and said, "Where are the others? I thought they'd be involved."

"The Matrix bores Hugo; I think he's working in his garden, and Joseph is with him. Danny and Gillian are out learning more about he Sprawl," Jessica said, just coming out of VR. "Ian's upstairs, cleaning his guns."

"You can hide at our place, if you need to. Anyone who does can go," Naomi said without looking at me. When Rydia glanced at me, she added, "I don't need permission, Rydia. Keith and I worked this out a few years ago." I was surprised when that memory appeared. I should have known last night wasn't the first time. Dopey me.

"This is my Pack, and I'm taking care of it," I added, probably unnecessarily. "Deal with it."

Hestaby smiled. "That's another reason," she said.

(((())))

I heard the car pull up and stop, and made a bet with myself. Nadja and Thorn, of course, but not in the limo. I had a good feeling, based on the sound. I'd already made the same bet with everyone, but hadn't been as sure; now I was. The door signaled, and Ian opened it. "Aw, frag! _Blackwolf!_" I couldn't help laughing as everyone looked at me sourly.

Dalton stepped back to admit Frosty and Daviar, who looked mystified, and Thorn, who appeared intrigued. "What did we miss?" Rory asked.

"Oh, nothing, other than Keith took us all for a hundred nuyen apiece," Sophia replied. She made the transfer, then scratched my face hard while she kissed me. "You're paying for that," she whispered.

"_Ooohh_, I'm all a-quiver," I said as the others paid up. "Easiest thousand nuyen I ever made."

"I wouldn't bet on that," Fox said as he watched Sophia walk away. "Here, let me take care of that." I was bleeding slightly, just below my right eye.

"Nah, leave it." I stood up and took the women's jackets, slung them over my arm and said, "This way. Introductions coming."

They followed me into the conference room, where Hestaby and All-Wings waited. Ms M looked at my face and smiled. Nope, that smile doesn't look good on an Elf, either. Thorn checked the windows as Jane and Nadja seated themselves, and I hung their jackets on the rack after surreptitiously checking them. No weapons. Either they kept them, or didn't need them. Probably the latter, as this was supposed to be a "friendly" meeting, and I was sure Thorn was packing. Nadja looked around the table as Majestic came in and sat down, including Rydia, but Danny and Gillian stayed away. When everyone was there, she looked at me expectantly.

"I can take a hint. All right, you know Hestaby. Nadja, Rory, Jane, this is Ian Dalton, Hugo Alejo, Rydia Kallenburg, Joseph Fox, Henry Camberlane, Sopiha Norris, Zelda Di'Moffiti, and Naomi and Jessica Dawson, my wife and daughter. Don't even think about it," I warned.

"Majestic, this is Jane Foster, known as _Frosty_ on Shadowlands and JackPoint, Nadja Daviar, known as _Anonymous_ on JackPoint," that earned me a glare, "and Rory Caolain, known as _Thorn_ on JackPoint. Or _Agent_ Thorn to his former comrades in MET Two-Kay and Argus."

Both sides looked at each other appraisingly, and I repeated, "Don't even think about it. Nobody's that good." I was looking at Nadja, and our eyes locked when she looked up. She nodded, and I sat down between Naomi and Jessica. "Oh, yeah, last but not least, Ms M Ul'cot, boss of Minutemen Mechanics. You can call her ma'am," I added as I got comfortable. Nadja and Jane took a look at her and went pale. "Okay, I think that covers intros."

Ms M smiled. "Thank you, Keith. So, it looks as though we need to talk. Good." She shuffled some unnecessary papers in front of her, and continued. "Cormac Mac Art isn't an unknown. He was known as _Karlak Maquarch_ back in the Fourth World, and he was a real bastard. I talked to Ehran, Harlech and Aithne, and they don't remember him kindly. They think he's partly the reason the Horrors came through so easily, and why they left him alone. They're honorable, after their own fashion."

I watched Jane, and she hid her face as she shuddered. Of anyone here, I think only me, Rydia, Sophia and her ever fought the things, and I had the impression we were damn lucky.

All-Wings noticed, and said, "It gets better, Jane. Yesterday he sent one of the smaller ones after Keith, Rydia and Sophia while they were checking where he was shot from. The astral on the opening end has his signature, and the jury-rigged re-transmitter they found routes back to him. I guess with me dead, he thinks he's got free rein." She smiled, and it was about as blood-thirsty as any I've ever seen. "He's in for a very rude surprise."

"This assumes he hasn't planned for dragons," Rory said. "Maybe he's madder than a March Hare, but doesn't mean he's completely barmy. I've seen me share of cunning-crazy sorts, and they're worse than anyone else."

Hestaby smiled at Nadja. "You made a good choice. Tough, smart and capable. Use him well, while you have him." She made it sound like Rory was an ordinary joyboy, but Daviar got the message. Her glare nearly shouted it. Rory understood it too, but smiled, which told me that wasn't part of the equation. Damn, but he was good. No wonder he'd stayed free and alive for so long.

"C'mon, Hest, this ain't grammar school," I said. "I have to say I'm a little disappointed that you can be this way."

_You'd be surprised how I can really be, Keith_, she said in my head. I looked at her side-long, but I couldn't read her expression. I didn't think about it. We had other business, and I'm sure she'd explain when she wanted to.

Jane recovered, and said, "They're really nasty. How big was yours?"

"About the size of two pick-up trucks," Rydia said. "I'm surprised it went down as fast as it did, but we had firepower. Good thing, too."

"He had to have had help to set Blackwolf up," Daviar said. "Who was it, and can we talk to them?"

"You'll have to wait your turn," Naomi replied. "Keith's got a prior claim, and unfinished business." I don't think I've ever seen her look so cold and hard, but I only knew so much about her. We've only been together four out of the twenty-five years since we met, and we're still learning each other's quirks, but I could see she was definitely her father's daughter, and Hideo Ishikawa could trace his family back to the Tokugawa and Ieyasu periods, when the Samurai were at their height. She had the steel.

"Naomi's right," I added. "You'll get the information, but we'll get it first. You weren't blown up with their help." Not the whole story, but she didn't need it.

"Very well, that can wait."

"One more use of superior to subordinate mode, and I'll toss you out the door myself," I replied casually. "You're not in charge here. Reality isn't what it's cracked up to be, Nadja." I raised an eyebrow, and her face froze, then she stared daggers. "Always know more than the other guy. Works with Johnsons, fixers and even dragons."

"All _right_. Do you ever let up?"

"Nope. I don't admit anyone's superior to me until they prove to my satisfaction. We're supposed to be working toward a common goal here, not making points." Nadja thought briefly, then nodded. "Okay. So let's act like we're in this together."

"Keith," Hestaby said warningly. "That's not necessary."

"Actually, he's right," All-Wings countered. "Karlak was and still is a common threat."

"I think that tells me more than anything else," Jane commented. "Of course, we don't know much about you," she added.

"When this mess is over, I'll be more accessible. I have all my personal matters taken care of, and it's time to let the Sixth World know All-Wings is back. Then sit back and watch the fun."

While this went on, Henry passed a few datacards to Nadja. "This has everything we found, and it wasn't easy to get. You might notice something we missed, but we're not really worried about anything else right now. I've been careful, but I don't know if he's got help, and how good they are."

"I don't think that's a worry, lad," Caolain said. "Hate to say it, but Immortals are all a bit mad. Won' talk to them, meself. Like talkin' to children, sometimes."

"Oh, trust me, we know that," Ian replied. "I don't know if you knew Daphne, but she was just like that. We could count on her, but sometimes she was a little too much."

"No she wasn't," Fox commented. Ian was about to argue when Ms M said, "Stop it, you two. I think we can ignore that. He's like the Princes. They can't or won't move into the modern world, and want to live as they used to. We all saw how well that worked."

"I resemble that remark," Hestaby said. "I like to think I'm doing a good job, even if they don't want me there. Trust me, if I wasn't so dead-set on metahumans and dragons being real friends, I'd have barbecued and lunched on them long before the Rinelle ke'Tesrae started their shenanigans."

"Whether they like it or not?" Rydia asked.

"No, I mean I really want it to happen. We've been enemies for too long, and that's getting in the way of real progress. I'll admit it isn't all the Elves' fault, not with Lofwyr, Ghostwalker and Sirrurg's attitudes that you little creatures need to remember your place," Hestaby snapped. "I don't agree with that. I keep telling them we're like actors without an audience. If you're not here, what good are _we_?" She looked at me. "The only person I can think of as a friend – a real one – is Keith. He was freaked when we first met, but he got over that, and we've done all right. Heck, you all got along with Snowfire, better than I'd have ever thought possible, and he had every reason to hate metahumans for what Spencer did to him. Don't tell me it's impossible."

"Thanks, H. I like to think I got _something_ right in the past fifteen years."

Daviar, Frosty and Thorn looked at us, wide-eyed. I don't think they'd ever seen this before, not even when Dunkelzahn was still alive. Certainly not between Nadja and the Big D. It's always interesting to watch people whose prejudices are shattered by others who truly mean and believe what they say. "So why can't you leave your entourage behind? You come off like a media whore. That's why I said that," Nadja said quietly. She managed not to cringe when Hestaby looked at her.

"If you believe that, you're no better than those imbeciles running either Tir," H said caustically. "Or the other idiots who make up Humanis or Alamos Twenty-Kay. Fraggin' bunch of racist, bigoted hypocrites who think it's okay to spout their nonsense, but cry foul when it's their turn to be skewered. If I thought it would raise my approval rating – and I don't, by the way – I'd hunt them down. On trid, just to make sure everyone saw it. Then it would be the Red Branch slots' turn. Believe me, I've seen more than enough of that stupidity to last me ten life-times." Hestaby stopped, closed her eyes, took a breath and let it out slowly, something she'd learned from me. "Now I know why Dunkelzahn thought his time was due. It got him away from that brain-dead mess."

I reached across, took her hands in mine and held them. "Calm down, H. They'll learn, just not right away. I'd like nothing better than to line them all up and shoot them, but there isn't enough ammunition in the world to do the job, even one bullet to a forehead. Let it go." She nodded shakily, but smiled as she kept her eyes shut. I think I was beginning to understand a few things, and maybe our relationship _had_ changed. I'd been working for her longer than most Voices last, longer than any metahuman/dragon relationship had ever gone.

"Now I can say I've seen everything," Jane said. "Okay, I think we can lay all our cards out, Nadja. I don't know about you, but I'm sure Hestaby means everything she said. Some things you can't fake, period."

Daviar studied me and H as we sat there, and nodded. "I have to agree. All right, I'll do it. Given what I've seen, I think I can look forward with some optimism."

"About time you started making sense," I said. Everyone chuckled, and we got down to business.

(((())))

I won't go into a lot of detail. We had a _lot_ of information to go through.

Nadja and Jane laid out what they knew, and we did the same. Everything pointed to Karlak as the mover behind it all. His intermediaries had mis-directed everyone they'd contacted into believing someone else was behind it, and it doesn't take much persuasion when you've got them by the balls. He either had a really good mage with him, or he had an outstanding hacker and Technomancer team working for him, but All-Wings had said that wasn't it. Most mages and shamans looked at technology and magic as mutually exclusive. I pointed out Mika was Awakened and augmented, but not enough to interfere with each other. Jane also emphasized to be a truly good mage, you had to Initiate, and cyberware killed any chance of that. I had to yield to her on that, considering her abilities, real and rumored.

As we combined our information, several things meshed together a little too well for comfort. First, Karlak was – according to Rydia's Assensing and Henry, Naomi and Sophia's Matrix searches – outside anyone's jurisdiction. The "no-mans-land" just outside the Sprawl. Nobody went there, and he was gathering who and what he could. Another unsettling thing was nobody else seemed to notice; he was just another loony leading his followers away from "civilization". If I hadn't been shot, this wouldn't have come to light. I couldn't believe I was the key to all this. Me? No way in hell. I'm just another guy trying to get along. I'm not that important; I'm not important at all.

Once we got into it, we had lots of information to look at: Satellite pix of the site; Matrix coverage – surprisingly high for the area; assets on the ground gleaned from shipping manifests, some several layers deep; personnel files of various Awakened types who'd dropped off the face of the earth, but showed up there, and a magical survey of the area from a few years ago. It didn't look too good.

The place was a power site. Not as concentrated as Stonehenge, but just as powerful. I was surprised the Salish hadn't noticed it. It reminded me of Crater Lake, but inverted: A broad hill with a few buildings surrounding the summit, which had a strange light that only appeared under a certain wavelength, which could be missed easily. The one thing obviously different about the hill was no ash on or within a mile of it. When Ranier "hiccuped", the ash never fell inside that two-mile circle. Nothing in scientific or magical theory could account for that. I have to admit I had my share of wild ideas, but after a little thinking I tossed them out. I think I'd been paying a little too much attention to Snopes or Plan 9 on JackPoint.

We still didn't have a complete picture of what was there. They could be hiding most of it in the surrounding forest, which was thick enough. No way to tell, and we didn't want to send anyone out to look around. Karlak was a little too good at finding us.

(((())))

I sat back, watching and listening. There wasn't much I could to to help. I was a ground-pounder, not a planner. Not really. The only reason our _ad hoc_ plans worked was we pulled the basic plan together, worked out a few contingencies and adjusted on the fly. It also helped that we were lucky as hell, and good "broken field" players, while the ones we faced were, 'scuse my French, ankle deep in shit, head first. Or we just caught them at a bad time, with low biorhythms. Like I said, lucky as hell.

I didn't mind being a fifth wheel. It let me sit back and let my mind wander over everything, looking for something that didn't fit, or possibly did when it shouldn't. Just catching a niggling detail that might pull it all together or apart. I wondered how he'd located me. I'd been keeping a low profile; even today I still could go unnoticed, even after all the fuss in CalFree. All I could think of was he wasn't looking for me, but _Spiritkiller_, and if he located that –

The lights went out suddenly, and I was up on my feet. _"Shit! He's here!"_ I ran upstairs to the roof, unlimbering the Alpha, with Ian right behind me.

It made sense. He'd sense the other artifacts, and probably try to get them all at once if he thought he could. And he probably could, if he had the numbers. This building had once been a police headquarters, very defensible, and hard to escape from, two inversely proportional things. Easy to escape? Forget defending well, and _vise-versa_. We weren't exactly trapped, but if they had a way to burn us in...

What got me was they were trying something while _Hestaby_ and _All-Wings_ were here. I don't believe two dragons can't be noticed by the Awakened. Try ignoring a halogen spotlight in your face at a meter. Can't be done, _omae_. Too bright and too hot. He had to think he could beat them, and I wasn't sure any one person was that good. I've seen them sling the mojo, and I wouldn't bet against them facing a crack mage-heavy Corporate team. Two teams. Hell, _five_ teams, and that was more mages than I think any Corp could field at once. They're still not that plentiful.

I ran out onto the roof, and the first thing I noticed was the glow. It seemed to be everywhere, but was brightest on my roof-top. I adjusted my eyes, and I could just see Karlak's silhouette. It had to be him, standing there in plain view. A group of ten mages or shamans were beside him, but I couldn't make out what they were doing. All I knew was it wasn't meant to make it easier to see, not in the noon-day sun.

"What the frag's he doing?" Ian asked as he squinted.

"You're asking me?" I looked down at the entrance, and there was a group of ten Elves holding a battering ram. I hadn't seen anything like that since a few old movies. They glowed slightly, and I got it. "They're going after the door. You get the ones on the ground, I've got the ones on my place." If they thought that was going to stop me, they had another thing coming.

I fired a long burst, and two went down. It should have been more, but I guessed they were shielding themselves in the process. Ian fired two bursts, and did better. Four at the front went down hard. I switched rounds, and lobbed a frag at my roof. The pain was a hell of a surprise. It was as though I'd been hit with truck, and I collapsed, my head spinning. Ian looked at me in surprise, then said, "Hell, they're using your place as a focus."

"How many?" I asked drunkenly as I pulled myself to the parapet.

"Six down. Omae, one more like that and you might not make it."

I gritted my teeth and looked over the side. Only two left maintaining whatever. I took careful aim, zoomed my vision in and put one good shot into Karlak's head. That's the last thing I remember, other than feeling like someone had shot _me_ in the head.

(((())))

I came to lying on my back, the sun glinting off a ratio antenna nearby as it set. I had no idea where I was, but I had a suspicion I'd find out and wouldn't like it. Birds called as the wind sighed through the trees, and I knew. I was in Karlak's enclave. I tested my arms and legs, and found I was tied spread-eagle on the ground, probably staked. My head still pounded.

_Keith? Are you all right?_ They got Hestaby? _Holy shit_. I closed my eyes and extened my hearing, cancelling-out unwanted noise. I could hear Majestic, or most of them. Fox, Hugo, Ian, Danny, Gillian and Rydia seemed to be missing. My heart sank when I identified Jessica and Naomi.

_Who's here, H? How long did the fight last?_

_Everyone except Hugo, Danny, Gillian, Rydia, Ian and Joseph. They managed to escape. Apparently they can't affect Adepts._ I could feel her smile. _I guess you're okay, if you're worrying about everyone else You went down early, but it was over in thirty minutes. He brought in some heavy hitters. They were like Auren. Wow_.

_What about All-Wings?_ I didn't think they could have got her. I'd seen her throw spells, and I wouldn't want to go against her. That didn't say anything about Karlak, of course. _What did he have?_ I wondered.

_She's with Rydia and company. I think he used Spiritkiller as a weapon focus; I recognized its signature. Ohh, I feel like I was dragged down a mile of country road. Backwards_.

"You and me both," I muttered quietly.

"Ah, you're awake," a voice said out of my line of sight. The speaker moved to where I could see him, and he was the strangest Elf I'd ever seen. He was short, squat and ghostly pale; I could see his veins. His eyes were a strange shade of magenta, and his hair was an impenetrable black. He – he was my opposite in coloration and build, and probably in mind-set. Shit. No wonder he'd gone after me. There were legends about having to get rid of your opposite or he'd get rid of you, but I'd never believed them. He smiled, and I felt a chill. "So, what do you think?"

"I think you're out of your fraggin' mind, taking on a dragon. By now the word's out, and I'm sure at least one's on their way to take you out."

"More than likely, but they can't kill me. You noticed my little insurance policy, I'm sure. Hurt me, and you get the pain and injury." He looked at me curoiously. "How'd you survive? I was told that kind of wound is instantly fatal."

Ah, so he didn't know about Howling Coyote. I smiled. "Figure it out yourself, if you're so good." He hit me, hard, and I noticed him grimace. "Ah, so it goes both ways. If you kill me, how do you know you'll live? I'll bet that first hit put you down for a week." I was shooting in the dark, but sometimes you get lucky. _I hope you're listening, H_, I thought.

_You bet I am. Keep him talking, if you can_.

He reacted as though slapped. "How'd you know that? I was assured no one else did."

"Maybe one of your dead helpers got it wrong," I sneered. My head had cleared, and I could feel his anger and uncertainty. Maybe I could use that, make him angry enough to blurt more information.

"Tell me, or your women will suffer, and you along with them."

"Blow it out your hoop, slot-head. No freebies in the Sixth World, just like the Fourth." He started. "Yeah, I got the word, straight from All-Wings. You know what she'll do? Once she cuts the connection, she's gonna take you apart a piece at a time over _days_."

"This assumes you live long enough." He looked at the sun. "Close enough. You came in on the Solstice. Poetic."

"Okay, so when do you plan on offing me?" I thought about it, and gave him a glare. "Midnight? What a cliché. I was born at six oh-two a.m. If I understand things, you're pushing the envelope. It might not work."

"It doesn't matter. Once you're gone, I'll take what I'm after. No one will be able to stop me, once I have those items."

"What, you can't see the Astral? And you call yourself an Adept," I replied condescendingly. He pulled his fist back, then thought better. "Yeah, that's right. You want to kill me, you're gonna have to drop that." I looked him in the eye. "Since I don't have too long to live, how'd you do it?"

"Knowing it can't help you. Not only the blade, which has absorbed your aura, I used Raven. You should know sex tends to mix auras, Keith. The other Elf woman even more."

"Raven's an Elf. That makes sense," I said. "So, when do we play this game?"

"Oh, it's not a game. You and I are going to have a little fight, but I'm certain to win. I hold all the cards." He straightened up and smiled. "I'm going to enjoy winning, and your friends' reaction to my victory. I'll show them who's superior."

"It's not a real win, if you have to call in help. Worse thing than a sore loser is a lousy winner, and a cheat. Enjoy your delusions, Karlak. You won't live past today." _+20 Karma_. "Now go away. I have to prepare, don't I?"

He looked at me with no expression, as though trying to see my thoughts, then turned abruptly and walked away. _You get that, H?_

_All of it. I think I can turn it around, but I'm not sure how well it'll work_, she replied.

_Don't bother. Just cut him off. If he thinks it's going to be a walk-over, he's got another thing coming_. I concentrated, and _Unspent Karma: 86_ appeared in my vision. I took a breath and thought. I'd need Edge, as much as I could get, but I'd need more than that, so I left it alone. I hadn't been able to practice, so the maneuvers I'd taken earlier might not work. I pushed High Pain Tolerance to maximum. I'd need it. Close Combat rose to 5; I'd _really_ need that. Body to 5 as well. Now I had to think about other things. Perception went up; I'd need to be sharp. Reaction wouldn't help; I was sure he was a lot faster than I was, and I'd never catch up. Escape Artist rose to 4; it would help getting out of a hold. Dodge to 5 to get me out of the way, and that was it. No more left. I'd done what I could, and I'd have to live or die with it.

_Keith? What just happened? You seem … different. Stronger, tougher_.

_To quote, __"I'm paying off karma at a vastly accelerated rate." I'm getting ready, H. Win or lose. If he goes down, I don't care how I come out. This is for everyone_.

I felt her smile. _If you don't make it, I'll never forget you, and I'm glad I knew you. Good luck_.

(((( ))))

I'd fallen asleep after buffing, and I was awakened roughly. I opened my eyes to see one of the shamans – who sported a bloody rag over one eye – standing over me with an obsidian knife, looking as though he'd rather kill me himself, instead of freeing me for the fight. I sat up and stretched, and I felt better. I checked my internal status, and I was in pretty good shape. I looked at the shaman and said, "You know what he'll do to you." I didn't need to go on. His face gave away the fear. _They're araid of him, H. We might be able to use that_.

_Way ahead of you_. I felt her sigh, and she continued, _Good or bad news first?_

I wasn't expecting it to be easy. _Bad first_. Might as well get it out of the way.

_He's about maxed-out as an Adept, but he went for power instead of finesse. I think you can use that. He's toughened himself up seriously, too. The good news is I can cut him off, but he's got Spiritkiller, and there's something else I can't identify on his side. Mixed. I'm sorry. You've got us pulling for you, and that should make some difference. Raven told me what she could. I can shut his link down at any time_.

_Do it when we start getting serious. I want it to be a surprise._ I stood up when the shaman motioned for me to follow. He limped ahead, and I smiled to myself. _I think you'll have an easy time, H. It looks like they're all hurting. That should make the difference_.

_I hope so. What he said about Spiritkiller should work for you. It's _yours_, not his. Good luck. Kiss_.

I walked along, taking in the bare knoll and the surrounding area. The area was Awakened, but not much. The trees still looked more or less normal. There was an odd feeling about the place I couldn't put my finger on, but I was sure I'd find out soon. We came to a large circle dug into the hill-top, and I felt my hair stand on end. I looked to see Karlak standing in the center, and I scowled. Of course. He was standing in the center of his power node. He could probably win without it, but I wasn't going to be doing too well, either way. _"Damned cheat,"_ I said in Sperethiel. _"You're not sure, so you stacked the deck."_

_"Wouldn't you?"_ he replied. His mouth hung open when I shook my head. "Then you're a fool," he said in the clear. "Come on, we haven't much time." I stepped inside, and I felt something, I wasn't sure what, but it was familiar, and seemed friendly as I stopped five feet away. "All right. Let's start."

He set himself in an elaborate routine. When he stopped, I outright launched myself at him, taking him by surprise. I burned some Edge, and my spurs slashed him deeply. He staggered back; my next attack missed, and I nearly fell on my face. _Damned glitch_, I thought. My next attack he blocked. Then came his turn.

Holy shit, was he fast. I barely had time to react as I parried and dodged most of his strikes, and they hurt like hell when they hit. I didn't feel anything when I'd slashed him, so I guess he'd cut himself loose, but I didn't think he'd made the odds any fairer. I didn't even care why he was doing all this. He'd killed Keith, and wanted to finish the job, and I didn't want him touching Naomi, Jessica or Sophia. Even Raven deserved better.

So far we were even, but only because I was pushing myself to the limit. I couldn't do it forever, and he and I knew it. I just gritted my teeth and kept on.

He switched to some kind of martial art I didn't recognize, other than it resembled some Roman frescoes, kinda like what the gladiators might have used. I guess Thera hadn't been completely forgotten. I switched to Kung Fu, and set myself for his attack. He over-extended, and I tried a set-up. No joy, and he knocked me on my back. Ground fighting worked a lot better. He couldn't get through without getting kicked or punched, even if all I could hit were his legs. Ankles and knees are surprisingly weak and fragile, and he knew it. He backed away, and I rolled to my feet, shaking my head.

_Now_, Hestaby's voice said, and I used Edge again. This time I got him in the kidney, and I could see it was really slowing him down, never mind it would have killed an ordinary person three or four times over. I dodged inside his guard and ran a spur into his left eye; I paid for it immediately, and I felt something crack in my back. A rib. Two. Screw it. He stepped back and visibly healed about half the wounds. I looked at the pair of shaman and snarled, "Bastards! I'll see you in hell!" That was a mistake.

He came in from nowhere; I caught the hit in my gut, and doubled over. I found myself in a full nelson, and it was getting hard to breathe. I twisted and my shirt tore. I slipped out of it and rolled clear. "Very nice," he said. We were both sweating, which might or might not help, and were bleeding profusely. I'd still done him worse, or it looked that way. More damage healed, and that made me snap. I scooped up two rocks and let fly, finishing my Edge. Both rocks hit with a sickening crunch, and both Elves went down. I ducked instinctively, just in time. I got knocked about three meters, and landed badly. Something snapped.

I couldn't move my right arm, and I had the wind knocked out of me. I panted, trying to move and feeling like an old man. He kicked me in the face, and I blacked out briefly. He stood over me, his eyes blazing. "Now we finish this," he said as he drew Spiritkiller, which glowed a bright blue in the mana-rich zone. "Say goodbye, Blackwolf." I didn't bother looking away or closing my eyes. That would have been worse.

He stabbed down, and what happened next surprised everyone. Spiritkiller _turned away_ from me, and ripped itself out of his hand. It floated a meter above the ground and exteneded itself into a sword. A voice like silver bells said, _"Blackwolf is my master; so said Dunklezahn. I cannot slay him."_

_Thank you, Albion_, I thought crazily. I just laid there, watching as Karlak forgot all about me and chased my blade, trying to grab it and missing. It was like watching a child try to grab a balloon that floated against the ceiling, and I couldn't help laughing, even though it hurt like hell.

"Laugh at me, will you!" he screamed. I couldn't see, but I had the impression his remaining followers were wondering what they'd gotten themselves into. He stalked over, crouched and raised his fist to finish me.

I felt something slap into my palm, and I was suddenly on fire. It burned through me, healing the wounds and other damage. I knew what it was to be a _god_, and then it stopped. I pointed Spiritkiller at Karlak's face. "Back off," I croaked. He stepped back, his face a study in awed wonder, and I wondered what he saw. It didn't matter. "You really fragged up, Karlak. You came after the wrong guy. I'd let you go if I thought you'd just go away, but you won't, will you?" His face grew determined as I stood up. "I didn't think so. See you on the next turn of the wheel." I didn't give him a chance, and I think he wanted to die. Like a child, no compromise. I swung, and his head bounced down the hill.

I looked around, but didn't see anyone. Weren't they coming? What was taking them so long? That's all I remember.

(((())))

I'll cut through the next week. I don't feel like going into any detail.

Hugo, Ian, Rydia and Joseph didn't escape, they just disappeared, while Danny and Gillian fled. Nobody knows what happened. One moment they were there, the next – _Poof!_ Gone. H says they're not dead, but it's about the same thing. They're gone, all because of me. Karlak hadn't really paid much attention to Nadja, Jane or Rory. I'm going to guess he was holding them for leverage

All-Wings arrived about an hour after the fight ended with three other dragons in tow: Ghostwalker, Perianwyr and Arleesh. They released the rest of Majestic and Hestaby, and cleaned up the area. The Salish appeared the next morning and took charge of the site, once Hestaby explained what happened. They were going to monitor the place for a while before deciding what to do with it.

Arleesh had wanted to destroy Spiritkiller, but changed her mind after hearing the story, and All-Wings' veto. I was told Ghostwalker studied me for nearly an hour, then surprised everyone by speaking with Spiritkiller for ten minutes. No one knows what was said. It was silent. All anyone knows is he smiled as he left for Denver. I'm not sure I like that. He knows something, and that bothers me.

Raven, Naomi and Sophia took care of me. Even though I was okay physically, I was out. Nothing wrong, but I was gone for the week, and I don't remember any dreams. None. No idea where the frag I was. That bothers me, too.

Finally, this isn't really a big deal, other than who and what: Ghostwalker asked for and received Super Joe's belt. Since its owner was dead, and he was Dunkelzahn's closest official relative, he thought he should hold onto it until it was needed again. I'm told he said I should get to know Spiritkiller a lot better, because most artifacts don't always develop an attachment to their owners and/or partners. That bothers me most of all. Damn it, I'm just an ordinary guy. How do I rate?

(((())))

July 7, 2074

I woke up at home and sat up in bed. I just sat there, not wanting to do anything but bitch myself out. I thought I'd fragged up before, but this was the capper. Half of Majestic was MIA, and even if Howling Coyote started it, it was still my fault. If I'd been more on the ball, maybe none of this would have happened. Just like with Snowfire.

_Yeah, right_, Hestaby's voice said, probably from across the street. _You can't know what would have happened, and I caught a little of what you and Daniel talked about before you got here while you were out, Todd. Here's the real question: If you could change just one thing, what would it be? This time? Snowfire? Daphne? Galileo? Would they have let you? Be honest with yourself. I know you can_. I wondered just what she'd picked up.

I had to admit I couldn't have changed anything, but I didn't feel any better. I was still upset over Snowfire, even after the time that passed, here and back home. He was just another victim of the dice, but still. I miss him. He was the coolest, most wiz thing to pass through my life in a while. _That's better. Come over; we've got some business to wrap up_.

I can take a hint. I got up, showered, got dressed, ate breakfast, geared up – including Spiritkiller – and walked across to 3M HQ. When I opened the door, Raven was there to greet me. I had to pause as the door closed, and she hugged me. "Hestaby told me you didn't want me to get hurt, Keith. Thank you." I took her in my arms and just held her. Somehow I knew she never meant any of it; she'd been under a threat the entire time.

"It's okay, Raven. I forgive you, even if you think you don't deserve it." She pulled back and looked at me. "I feel the same way, right now." She nodded, and we walked to the conference room to find Hestaby, All-Wings, Nadja and Frosty there. I suppose Rory was upstairs, talking with the staff. "What business?" I asked.

"First, I want to apoligize," Nadja said. "I saw why Hestaby spoke so highly of you. You can ignore last week. I had no idea."

"Accepted," I replied as Raven and I sat down. "What else? It's never just one thing with you two," I added, looking at the dragons.

"Just like that?" Jane asked in surprise.

"Just like that," I confirmed. "I'm a Wolf. I don't hold grudges for piddly drek, Jane."

Ms M smiled. "It's official business, and it involves both of us. Hestaby won't budge, and it makes sense. We want you to be our Voice, Keith. I think out of anyone, you understand us best, and that should help."

"You've gotta be hosed," I replied. "I – "

"One more morose thought and I'll have Sophia and Naomi tickle you," Hestaby cut in. "Okay, we all could have done better, but it's over and done. We'll look for the others, but there's still the business. Do you have a problem?"

"Not if I don't have to fly between here and Boston a lot. Why not – oh, yeah, our magic types are missing," I said. "I guess I'll hold up better than most, since I can fight." I wasn't sure I wanted to do it. I liked running, even if it was dangerous. "I can get used to staying at home more."

"I didn't say you had to stop running," All-Wings said. "Once the furor dies down, we'll see, but you won't have to change your routine much. I'm taking over the Olympic. Hestaby still has to watch Tir Tairngire, but Seattle's home for us, now. Boston's too close to certain people."

"Cara and Sam Villiers are here, in case you forgot."

"I can deal with them. Women are more honest with each other," she replied with a slightly vicious grin. "What do you say?"

"I'll need to think about it. Giving up my anonymity's going to bite," I said.

"We'll work something out. If you and Naomi are going to have more children, you might want to be there for them. Growing up without both parents isn't easy, for metahumans or dragons. It's not like you're going to be broke. We don't stint." She turned to Raven. "You're off the hook. Your life is yours again."

When Raven glanced at me, I said, "Take it up with Naomi; I'm just the husband." Her surprised expression made me lean over and whisper in her ear, "Did you fall for me?" She nodded. "Was that what you didn't want to tell me?" Another nod. "Okay. We'll work something out."

Jane smiled knowingly, and I just looked at her. "Y'know, we never got to have that talk. Good thing we got chaperones." Hestaby and All-Wings snickered. "Yeah, too bad it's you two." We spent the next few hours just talking about ourselves and our adventures, and getting to know each other. Raven could keep secrets; she'd kept a big one for several years. H and Ms M just sat there, listening, and occasionally glancing at each other.

When we ran down, Nadja said, "Well, I can follow a few of those loose ends, if you don't mind. Taking care of those actually helps me and the Foundation. And I think Jessica will do as Ghostwalker's representative here, if you don't mind. That should make Lofwyr pause and think. All in all, everyone benefits."

"All right. Just remember about dealing with dragons," I said. "Like I need to warn you."

"I think that concludes everything," All-Wings said. "In case you were wondering, my 'coming-out' party will be next month. You'll be there, won't you?" she asked with a sweet yet predatory smile.

I gave her a sour look. "Okay, boss lady. You got it. I just can't wait for the rumors that'll come out. Fraggin' wonderful." Raven and I excused ourselves as Rory came in. I suppose he, Jane and Nadja had other business to take care of. "Let's go. I've got to talk with a new friend," I said.

"I'll catch up. Naomi and I need to talk."

I nodded and returned to the house, took the blade out of the scabbard and set it on the table. It looked almost exactly the same as before, but seemed to glow softly. "You said Dunklezahn said I was your master. When was that?"

The tinkling voice replied, _"Not long before he left for the Watergate. He said it was important, and I'd be your strong right hand. He was right, Keith. It's good to be useful again."_

"Is there anything else I need to know?"

_"I'll tell you things as we go. I came from the Fourth World, and I've been through this before. It's always a learning process."_

I felt like an idiot, talking to a sword, but, hey, welcome to the Sixth World. Freaky stuff happens.

(((())))

That evening Jessica and Naomi were out. Ishikawa-_sama_ had a free few hours and wanted to get re-acquainted with his daughter, and meet his grand-daughter. I didn't mind, and I understood. Jessica and I are just now getting comfortable with each other.

I sat in the auto shop, attaching the weapon mount to the Contrail. I'd also made another mount for the MAG-5 to go on the truck. It wasn't much use any more, other than spraying lead to get people to duck, but it would help on the road, if things got ugly, and they would. Once the news hit the Matrix, my life was going to change radically, and I still wasn't sure I could pull it off. The other Voices were used to dealing with the public. I hated being in front of a crowd. It was another adjust ment I'd have to make, like it or not.

I looked up as Raven opened the door and walked in. Naomi had agreed to her living here; she understood our past relationship, and made it clear she wasn't threatened by it. She knew I loved her, and that Raven and Sophia loved me. I wondered how it would all work out.

I set the tools down, stood and stretched. Between my visit with my _sensei_, a trip to see Daniel and getting a new ID and SIN as H and Alpha's Voice, I'd been run all over the area, and felt a little ragged. Working on machinery helps me calm down. Now I needed to move around and get rid of the stiffness. I checked the time: nearly ten o'clock. Naomi and Jessica should have been back an hour ago, but I checked my 'link and found a message about them staying at the hotel tonight and spending tomorrow with Hideo. I couldn't help being suspicious, considering Naomi had been conveniently gone when Sophia made her play.

Raven walked into the kitchen, and I heard the NutriSoy processor start. I guess she was giving it a try, to see if it was as awful as I'd said it was, compared to real food. I walked around and finally sat on the couch, keying the news on my 'link. The SSC was moving a Lodge to the hill after a complete survey, and would be hunting Karlak's people down and dealing with them. Some were renegades from there, as well as other places, and they wanted them out. Minutemen Mechanics' stock had risen a little with news of the move of the HQ to Seattle. The rumor section had a few whispers of another dragon appearing, but no specifics. It had to be sparse if Horizon was hedging, or maybe just a little threatening. Dragons can be very persuasive.

Raven sat beside me with a bowl of _erzatz_ beef stew. It smelled okay, but the colors never looked right to me. She took a spoonful, sniffed it and then took a bite. She made a face. "You're right, it doesn't work," she said, but kept eating. "Shouldn't waste food," she added.

"What else do I need to know?" I asked as I pocketed my 'link. She didn't say anything for a few more bites.

"You know I love you. I did when the Foundation's letter arrived, but you know how we are about understating things," she replied. I think she meant Natives _and_ Elves. I still couldn't see it, but Rydia and Jane look human. "You're probably wondering about how I acted on that roof-top. It was all bluff. I thought I was going to die up there." She looked at me neutrally. "I wanted to go out in a blaze of glory, and you had to go ruin it."

"You almost got your wish. If I'd brought someone else, Howling Coyote's favor wasn't going to get done."

"Did he say what it was?"

"I didn't have time to ask." I thought for a few minutes as she finished her food. "He owes me when it's done, and I want Keith to be here when I'm gone. He seems to have the ability to do it. He's freaky in person. I can see why the US and Canada knuckled under, even without the eruptions."

Raven finished her food and dipsosed of the trash, then returned to her place beside me. I wondered what she had in mind. We had a relationship over the eleven years I was on the Kitsap, but it was arms-length. It had obviously changed. "I know what everyone thinks about him, but he's our savior, Keith. Without Daniel, the People would be extinct, eventually. I'm not really happy about the way it was done, but it had to happen that way."

"You're not telling me any news, Raven. I'm not a misanthrope for nothing."

I must have sounded the way I felt. There are times I can't stand the human race. She leaned over and kissed me, then held on tight. "Oh, I've missed you." Yep, I'm not telling you anything.

(((())))

I was suddenly standing in front of Howling Coyote, in the same cave. He was smiling, and I didn't know why, but I didn't like that. "Okay, so I'm done?" I asked.

"That favor is done," he replied with satisfaction. "And I heard you, Todd. Look." He waved to a smoking brazier, and the smoke showed Keith and Raven lying in bed, looking very content. He opened his eyes, looked startled, then thoughtful. He noticed me – probably on his commlink, don't ask me how – and signed _Thank you_. I replied _You're welcome_, and he settled back. Raven's eyes opened, and she did the same as the image faded.

"What's the favor? I think I've got the right to know."

"You've made it possible for me to be re-born," Daniel said, his eyes glinting. "I'll be back, and I can finish my work."

I looked at him sourly. As usual, my characters get used, and sometimed hosed in the process. I had a thought, and I smiled. He looked at me uncertainly. "If this goes as I think it will, you start any shit, I'll be back and kick your ass."

He laughed, but I could tell he wasn't very sure. "Oh, and how's that?"

I used the voice and accent I reserved for my one god-like character, the one I almost never use. "Because the one who's inclined to speak in this manner isn't likely to be baulked, Daniel. If, by some uncontrollable circumstance, I should become him, I'll have more than sufficient capability to do as I've promised. You do not wish to meet the Black Wolf, I assure you. You might not like the results."

He raised his eyebrows at the quasi-English accent, and the tone that resembled Pierce Brosnan, but he nodded. "Yes, I can see that. I can't promise I won't do anything. There's still work to do."

"By the way, who's been playing around?"

He looked at me as the light began to fade. I knew I was moving on. _"Me."_

(((())))

I woke up feeling contented. I lay on my side, eyes closed and enjoying the feeling. That opened my eyes, because I seldom felt content. I looked around and saw the usual generic no-tell motel room interior. O-kay, I was somewhere else, and I had an idea where. I felt a body behind mine, and arms around me, and they felt very masculine; the Raccoon-marked paws were gripping my breasts firmly. My own markings were Lynx. Yep, I knew exactly where I was, especially when I looked to see the backpack with the _Hello Kitty_ patch sewn to it.

I sighed, and said the only thing I could say, a quote from Admiral Tarantino and Hellboy: _"Aw, crap."_

(((())))

A/N: As you might guess, this is it for Seattle and Blackwolf. Now we get to play in the Wizards' World. Should be fun.

I had a lot of fun with this, and I hope you liked it. Reviews are shiny, _dong ma_?


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